The English Premier League continues this weekend, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Swansea City vs. Leicester City and Southampton vs. West Brom matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Swansea City vs. Leicester City
Three-Way: 1: Swansea City +191; X: +233 Draw; 2: Leicester City +195
Spread 0: Swansea +106; Leicester City -109
Total +2.5: Over +119; Under -123
SWANSEA CITY
The Swans escaped the relegation zone with the last week’s 2:0 victory over Huddersfield Town and ended the four-game winless streak. Swansea is in the 13th position in the Premier League with eight points at the moment, two more than the Foxes, mainly thanks to loanee Tammy Abraham’s brace against the Terriers. Paul Clement’s side is in a slightly better form than Leicester and will try to stay above the danger zone with a positive result on Saturday.
Swansea has played ten games in the 2017/18, recording four victories, two draws, and four defeats, with a goal difference of 11:9, which is exactly two goals per contest on average. It is interesting that Swansea is playing better away from Liberty Stadium as they recorded just one win at home; the aforementioned over Huddersfield. However, they have a solid record against the Foxes at home, winning four from the previous five meetings.
Tammy Abraham is the team’s leading scorer with five goals to his name already, and the 20-year-old striker emerged as the No. 1 forward at Liberty Stadium in the absence of injured Wilfried Bony, who failed to impress when was healthy, anyway. Jordan Ayew with three and Leroy Fer with two goals are behind Abraham on the goal-scoring chart, while Ayew and Tom Caroll also contributed with a pair of assists each. Paul Clement will be without the centre-back Kyle Bartley who is out with a cruciate ligament rupture, while Fer is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards and will not feature here. Renato Sanchez and Bony are doubtful as they are recovering from respective thigh injuries.
LEICESTER CITY
The Foxes are without a Premier League win since August and the second round, so they didn’t experience the taste of league victory in the previous six outings. Leicester is undefeated in the last two, though, while the latest fixture produced a 1-1 home draw against West Brom, as Riyad Mahrez saved a point with a goal in the 80th minute, following Nacer Chadli’s opener from the direct free-kick. Leicester is in the relegation zone currently and only three points would get them out of there, and this matchup could be a favorable one for the Foxes to record an away win finally.
Leicester played ten games so far in this campaign, recording three victories, three draws, and four defeats, with a goal difference of 16:14, which is precisely three goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches away from King Power Stadium, the Foxes are still searching for the first win, and the visit to Wales could be their chance but they managed to beat Swansea in Wales only once in last five meetings.
The forward Jamie Vardy is the team’s top scorer with five goals to his name, while Shinji Okazaki is right behind him with four goals thus far. Islam Slimani added three, while Andy King and Riyad Mahrez contributed with a pair of assists each. Leicester have sacked manager Craig Shakespeare after a poor run of results and a bad start, so Michael Appleton is currently serving as a caretaker until the hierarchy find the suitable man to replace Shakespeare. Appleton cannot count on the centre-back Robert Huth (malleolar) and midfielder Matty James (Achilles tendon), but the rest of the team is healthy and raring to go.
Swansea City vs. Leicester City – Match Prediction
This match is highly unpredictable and I am not sure who is closer to the victory so I will opt for a draw, as the only appealing option in my opinion.
MY PICK: Draw (+233)
Southampton vs. West Bromwich Albion
Three-Way: 1: Southampton -111; X: +254 Draw; 2: West Brom +450
Spread -0.5: Southampton -119; West Brom +114
Total +2: Over -120; Under +116
SOUTHAMPTON
The Saints won only one of the last seven matches and were unable to secure a home victory over Newcastle last weekend, as the duel ended without a winner, 2:2. Finally, Manolo Gabbiadini showed signs of the previous year’s form with a brace that helped Southampton snatching a draw, as the visitors led on two occasions before the Italian settled the final score. Mauricio Pellegrini’s team is struggling to create clear-cut goal-scoring chances, and believe it or not, Southampton scored as a result of just two attempts on target. They need to improve as soon as possible, or the Argentinean manager will be looking for a new job soon.
Southampton played nine games in the 2017/18 season so far, recording two victories, three draws, and four losses, with a goal difference of 7:11, which is precisely two goals per contest on average. The Saints are without a home win in the last four outings, and they failed to score in three in a row before Gabbiadini’s double against Newcastle. Southampton lost the corresponding fixture to West Brom in the 2016/17 Premier League season, and anything could happen on Saturday as both teams are quite unpredictable at the moment.
Manolo Gabbiadini is the team’s leading scorer with three goals, while Dusan Tadic, Maya Yoshida, Steven Davis, and Charlie Austin contributed with a goal to their respective names. However, Tadic and Nathan Redmond are entirely out of form, and Southampton needs talented wingers to start playing on a much higher level. Redmond managed to record a couple of assists as well as Shane Long, but that is insufficient for the player of his abilities and rating. Mauricio Pellegrini is delighted to have almost entire team healthy for this clash, as only the left-back Matt Targett is sidelined with an ankle injury.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION
The Baggies are in a bad run of seven matches without a win, and they drew the latest two Premier League games after dropping lead in both. West Brom took a 1-0 lead at Kingdom Power Stadium against Leicester thanks to Nacer Chadli’s well-taken free-kick in the 63rd minute, but that wasn’t enough for three points as Riyad Mahrez equalized in the 80th minute to settle the final score – 1:1. West Brom is still in the top half of the table as they are currently in the 10th position with ten points, one more than their rivals Southampton.
West Brom played ten games in the 2017/18, recording three victories, four draws, and three losses, with a goal difference of 11:12, which is 2.3 goals per contest on average. The Baggies failed to win in the previous three away matches, but they were victorious at St. Mary’s last year, so Tony Pulis certainly has the recipe on how to beat the Saints.
Jay Rodriguez and Salomon Rondon are the team’s top scorer with a pair of goals to their respective names, while seven other players scored once. Matt Phillips is leading the assist-chart with two dishes, but the Baggies receive a significant boost with Chadli’s return to the pitch, s the Belgian could be a major contributor in the attack. Tony Pulis has all of his players healthy and prepared to play, only James Morrison and Hal Robson-Kanu are suffering from slight injuries and are listed as doubtful for this encounter.
Southampton vs. West Brom – Match Prediction
Neither of these teams is impressing at the moment, and predicting this duel is not an easy thing to do. Still, judging the recent form and unconvincing defenses, I think we could see goals on both ends in this Premier League game.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (+125)
