The English Premier League continues this weekend after the international break, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Leicester City vs. West Bromwich Albion match. 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. West Bromwich Albion
Three-Way: 1: Leicester +114; X: +250 Draw; 2: West Brom +325
Spread -0.5: Leicester +108; West Brom -111
Total +2.5: Over +120; Under -125
LEICESTER CITY
The Foxes are just one place away from the relegation zone with the same amount of points as Swansea, which is far from what the fans expect to see from them. Leicester have only one victory in the EPL when they beat Brighton at home two months ago, and while the things are going well in the Carabao Cup, they must improve in the league as soon as possible. The latest EPL display at Bournemouth was poor as well, and even though they managed to snatch a goalless draw, Leicester had only one attempt on target, which is utterly disappointing.
The 39% of the ball possession is also concerning, but we got used to seeing the Foxes playing a counter-attacking football, so it’s not that strange. Failing to score against the weak Bournemouth team is concerning, considering the players Craig Shakespeare has in his squad such as Jamie Vardy, Shinji Okazaki, and Riyad Mahrez, among others. Leicester collected just two points in the previous five EPL games, losing to Man United, Chelsea, and Liverpool, so that can be understandable. Now they have favorable fixtures ahead and should start winning against teams outside of the top six if they want to reach the mid-table soon. The Foxes have a talented squad with plenty of players who can turn out to be match-winners, and it looks that is only a matter of time when they’ll start winning again. This clash with West Brom seems like a good opportunity for getting three points, and although Leicester hasn’t beat the Baggies at King Power Stadium in the last ten years, the visitors are also struggling at the moment.
Leicester played nine games in the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, recording three victories, two draws, and four defeats, with a goal difference of 15:13, which is a bit over three goals per contest on average. The positive goal difference is because of excellent performances in the Carabao Cup, where Leicester eliminated Sheffield United and then Liverpool, scoring six goals in the process. The situation is entirely different in the Premier League, but there is room for improvement, that’s for sure. However, one fact could discourage home fans – the Foxes lost five and drew two matches against West Brom at home in recent history, and they managed to score more than one goal on just one occasion.
The trio of forwards, Jamie Vardy, Shinji Okazaki, and Islam Slimani combined for 12 goals so far, which is a decent record for them, but the problem is that their teammates are struggling to follow them on the goal-scoring chart. Mahrez, Andy King, and Harry Maguire recorded a couple of assists each, but Mahrez’s doesn’t look like the player who won the English Premier League POTY award two seasons ago. After a move away from King Power Stadium collapsed, the Algerian is not playing on a high level we used to watch him, and coach Shakespeare decided to bench him at Bournemouth as a result of his uninspiring form. Kelechi Iheanacho, who arrived as a significant reinforcement from Man City this summer, has yet to score a goal for his new club, while Demarai Gray also must to step up his game and provide more goals and assists in the coming weeks. Adrien Silva is not eligible until January, Robert Huth is still recovering from an ankle injury and will not feature here, while Matty James (Achilles tendon) is out for another few weeks.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION
The Baggies entered this season on a high note with three victories in the first three matches, including two in the Premier League without conceding a single goal, but now, they are without a win in the previous six games. West Brom is also eliminated out of the Carabao Cup after suffering a 1-2 home loss to Man City, while the latest EPL duel with Watford additionally frustrated Tony Pulis and the fans. West Bro had a 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes, but the Hornets responded well and managed to snatch a draw in the dying seconds of the tilt, as the Brazilian Richarlison scored an equalizer in the 95th minute. With only three points in the last five EPL outings, West Brom is in a similar situation like Leicester, so this clash could be quite interesting to watch.
West Brom has played nine games so far in the 2017/18 Premier League season, recording three wins, three draws, and three losses, with a goal difference of 10:11, which is 2.3 goals per contest on average. The efficiency is the problem for Pulis as forwards Jay Rodriguez and Salomon Rondon is having problems to score recently. When it comes to away matches, the Baggies have two wins and a pair of defeats, and the latest visit to Emirates could end much better for them. Arsenal won 2-0, but Rodriguez could score at least once as he constantly tried to put one behind Cech’s back in the opening half. However, the former Southampton striker was unlucky, while the Gunners took three points. One encouraging fact prior to this clash with Leicester on Monday is that West Brom has an excellent record at King Power Stadium and will try to build on that. They scored at least a couple of goals in five out of the last seven matches at Leicester, and the Foxes defense is far from being stable this year, so I think the visitors will find the net once again.
Rodriguez and Rondon are the team’s top scorers at the moment with two goals to their respective names, but considering their qualities, they should be scoring on a regular basis. However, that is currently not the case, and although Pulis has six more individuals who managed to score a goal thus far, it seems that the Baggies need a leader who will end the season with 15+ goals. The Welsh manager has a decent squad with the strong midfield trio of Gareth Barry, Grzegorz Krychowiak, and Jake Livermore, so it’s only a matter of time when the strikers will start scoring again. Matt Philips recorded a pair of assists, and Nacer Chadli is back into contention after missing time on the sidelines, so the creativity shouldn’t be a problem for the Baggies. Chadli has yet to play in the Premier League and this encounter could be a perfect opportunity for him to showcase his abilities and make a difference. Pulis doesn’t have any injury-related worries ahead of this tilt as all of his players are healthy and prepared to go.
Leicester City vs. West Bromwich Albion – Match Prediction
Four out of the last five H2H meetings ended with three or more goals, and although both teams aren’t particularly efficient right now, I expect to see plenty of goals on both sides.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (+120)
