Premier League: Can Leicester City Get Out of the Foxhole?

Leicester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Leicester City are fighting for their Premier League lives, but their bid for top-flight survival won’t get any easier when they host the Wolves this Friday evening.

The Foxes are in a deep hole, as they’re 19^th in the standings with 25 points. They haven’t won a single game since February, but they still have a chance to escape the relegation mire if they do win this weekend.

Wolves, on the other hand, were also in danger of relegation, but they look to be safe for now because they improved their recent Premier League 2023 results. With two wins on the bounce, they moved up to 13^th place with 34 points.

Leicester City got the better of the Wolves in their reverse fixture earlier this season, but can they do it again when it counts this time?

Talking Points

Can Smith spark Leicester’s lacklustre campaign?

The new-manager bounce is a thing here in the Premier League, although it doesn’t last long. Still, the Foxes could use some of it since they’re in the dumps right now.

The additions of Sean Dyche and Javi Gracia gave fellow relegation strugglers Everton and Leeds a boost, and these two teams have temporarily retreated from the danger zone. Under Dean Smith, Leicester City want a similar outcome.

Dean Smith took over the coaching reins at Leicester when Brendan Rodgers was sacked earlier this month. He has only coached one game so far for the Foxes, which was a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Sky Blues.

Smith inherits a team with enough quality, so he must find a way to draw out consistent production from his players.

We’re particularly looking at the likes of Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Jamie Vardy to try and impose their will against the Wolves this weekend. The four of them have accounted for 30 goals and 18 assists so far this season.

But the biggest weakness for Leicester City all season long has been their backline, which was exacerbated by the departures of Kasper Schmeichel and Wesley Fofana.

Their defence got so bad that Schmeichel’s replacement – Danny Ward – was dropped in favour of Daniel Iversen, although the Danish goalie couldn’t do much since Wout Faes, Caglar Soyuncu, and Harry Souttar don’t provide enough cover for him.

Will Wolves recall Neves?

Ruben Neves has been sidelined in these last two games after picking up his 10^th yellow card of the season during their 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at the start of this month, but the team didn’t skip a beat because his replacements have stepped up.

Julen Lopetegui has given chances to the likes of Mario Lemina, Matheus Nunes, and Joao Gomes, and all of them made the most of their opportunities, leading the way in their recent victories over Chelsea and Brentford.

Neves is now available for selection after serving his suspension, but Lopetegui may stick with the same lineup that has brought them success recently, although he has the option to bring in Neves off the bench.

History

Leicester City are gunning for their first league double against the Wolves since 1995-96 and for the first time in top-flight since 1980-81 after their 4-0 victory at Molineux in their previous meeting last October.

In the reverse fixture, the Foxes romped past the Wolves as Youri Tielemans, Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, and Jamie Vardy all scored. It was the first away league win this 2022-23 campaign.

The Foxes will somehow feel confident on Friday because the Wolves have won just one of their last 25 league visits to the King Power Stadium (D9, L15), failing to score in five of their last six since a 4-1 win in the Championship in May 2007.

As mentioned, the Wolves have never scored in five away Premier League games against Leicester City. Only Birmingham have never scored in more Premier League away games (7 against Manchester United).

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2023 odds predict a tight battle between Leicester City and the Wolves. The hosts were given a slight advantage at 2.35, while the Wolves were priced to win at 2.79, and a draw was installed at 3.15 in the 1X2 market.

Despite their gap in the standings, these two teams have similar quality, so this should be a closer matchup than expected.

One thing’s for sure, though: we will see goals from each side since neither squad has been able to hold it down in the backline. So, going for Over 2.50 at 2.17 isn’t a bad idea.

 

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