The English Premier League continues this mid-week, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Leicester City vs. Burnley and Stoke City vs. Swansea City matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Leicester City vs. Burnley
Three-Way: 1: Leicester -111; X: +273 Draw; 2: Burnley +440 atBetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Leicester -120; Burnley +117
Total +2.5: Over +125; Under -130
LEICESTER CITY
The Foxes made it to the top half of the table following a surprising 2:1 win over Tottenham at King Power Stadium thanks to first-half goals from Jamie Vardy and RiyadMahrez, while Harry Kane just managed to soften the defeat with the goal in the 79th minute. Leicester defended well throughout the entire game, and Kasper Schmeichel was quite convincing at the goal line, so Claude Puel’s side is now in the 9th position in the Premier League with 17 points, eight fewer than Burnley. Even with a win here, the Foxes could not move up as Watford has four points more in the 7th place.
Leicester City played 17 games so far in the 2017/18, recording seven victories, five draws, and five losses, with a goal difference of 28:22, which is 2.95 goals per contest on average. The Foxes won three out of the last four home matches, and they are without a loss to Burnley at King Power Stadium since 2007 when the two teams played in the Championship. Leicester won the previous meeting with the Clarets at home; it was 3:0 in September 2016.
Jamie Vardy is the team’s top scorer with seven goals in 15 appearances, while Shinji Okazaki with five, and RiyadMahrez and Islam Slimani with four apiece are also key contributors to the attack. The Algerian magician Mahrez is the most creative individual at Leicester with five assists to his name, so he is a man to watch for the hosts alongside Vardy who will lead the attack. Claude Puel cannot count on Robert Huth (ankle), Matty James (Achilles tendon), and Adrien Silva (suspension), and they will be out until January.
BURNLEY
The Clarets secured the fourth win in five Premier League matches thanks to Chris Wood and Robbie Brady who scored at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth to beat the Cherries 2:1. Joshua King managed to cut the lead with ten minutes to go, but Burnley kept cool and defended well to secure three points and bounce back following a 0:1 home defeat to Arsenal. Sean Dyche’s side is currently in the highly respectable sixth position with 25 points, only three behind the Champions League places, and although it is still early in the season, this result is a big achievement for the Clarets.
Burnley played 16 games in this campaign, recording eight victories, four draws, and four losses, with a goal difference of 18:14, which is precisely two goals per contest on average. The Clarets have only one away loss in the Premier League, and they won the last two on the road, so Leicester will certainly not have an easy hob here even though they are labeled as favorites. Burnley scored in all but one away games, so scoring at least one at King Power seems probable.
Chris Wood is the team’s leading scorer with five goals in 12 appearances, while Robbie Brady and Sam Vokes added three goals each. Johann Gudmundsson is the best assist-maker with four dishes to his name, while Brady has three, and Jack Cork two dishes at the moment. Sean Dyche is still without the veterans Dean Marney (cruciate ligament rupture) and Jonathan Walters (knee), while the starting goalkeeper Tom Heaton is also out with a shoulder injury.
Leicester City vs. Burnley – Match Prediction
The Foxes could be closer to win this tilt, but I am not convinced they will keep the clean sheet, so I am backing goals on both ends.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (+114)
Stoke City vs. Swansea City
Three-Way: 1: Stoke +100; X: +260 Draw; 2: Swansea +375 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Stoke -106; Swansea +102
Total +2.5: Over +127; Under -133
STOKE CITY
The Potters are without the Premier League win in the last four matches, and the coach Mark Hughes is starting to feel heavy pressure, so eventual failure here could be his final game at the helm. Stoke lost two in a row, and the most recent 0:3 home loss to Liverpool sent them to the 16th position with 13 points, four more than Swansea and three above the relegation zone.
Stoke City played 16 games in this season, recording four victories, four draws, and eight losses, with a goal difference of 20:31, which is 3.18 goals per contest on average. The Potters won just one out of the previous six matches at bet365 Stadium, but they didn’t lose to Swansea at home since 2001 when these teams played in the League One.
Peter Crouch is the team’s top scorer with four goals in 12 appearances, while Eric Choupo-Moting, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Mame Diouf are following him on a goal-scoring chart with three goals apiece. The Swiss international Shaqiri is the most creative individual at bet365 Stadium with five assists to his name, and the visitors must close him down to prevent the former Bayern Munich winger from creating chances. Mark Hughes cannot count Jack Butland (fractured finger), and Stephen Ireland (fractured leg), while Geoff Camron is recovering from a concussion and could be available to feature here.
SWANSEA CITY
The Swans are in a poor form of six Premier League matches without a win, and they even failed to score in the previous four, so another negative result here could send them to the bottom. Swansea lost the latest tilt with Chelsea as the Blues beat them 1:0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to Antonio Rudiger’s second-half goal. Paul Clement’s side is in the 19th position with nine points, same as Crystal Palace who is in the 20th place, and the Swans are desperate to move away from the relegation zone, but can only do that with a win at bet365 Stadium.
Swansea City played 17 games in the 2017/18 so far, recording four victories, three draws, and ten losses with a goal difference of 13:19, which is 1.88 goals per contest on average. The Swans lost the past four away matches in the Premier League, and they don’t have a positive record at Stoke in recent history, so a win on Saturday would be a big achievement for Clement’s team.
Tammy Abraham is the team’s leading scorer with five goals in 16 appearances, but he moved to the bench following Wilfried Bony’s return from injury. Jordan Ayew scored three goals at the moment, while Alfie Mawson and Leroy Fer added a couple of goals to their respective names. Ayew is the best assist-maker with three dishes, and he will likely play alongside Bony in the attack, but the pair failed to attempt a single shot on target against Chelsea, so the inefficiency remains a massive problem for Swansea. Paul Clement is without centre-backs Kyle Bartley (ruptured cruciate ligament) and Federico Fernandez (personal reasons), and they cannot help their teammates on this one.
Stoke City vs. Swansea City – Match Prediction
The hosts are a better team, but they will need to show that on the pitch, so I am backing them to get three points against the relegation candidate Swansea.
MY PICK: Stoke City to win (+100)
