England Premier League
Saturday 5th March 2022
Kick off at 12:30pm GMT
Venue: King Power Stadium
Match Preview:
Leicester won only their 8th game of the season as they played Burnley on Tuesday evening and beat them 2-0. It was a good bounce back performance from the Foxes and an impressive win given how strong Burnley have been over the past month.
A huge boost for Leicester came in the form of Jamie Vardy’s return and what a player he has been for the club. He came off the bench after spending 2 months out and scored what ended up being the winner. Brendan Rodgers side are in 12th place with 30 points but have played less games than most, for example 3 games less than 11th place Crystal Palace. A European finish still looks too much for the club but they will be aiming to have a strong finish to the season.
Home form has been average for Leicester but recently they have only lost one game in their past five although their last two home games have finished in draws against West Ham and Brighton respectively.
The big news for Leeds has been the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa, this is an attempt for the club to shake up the team who have been looking like relegation contenders for the past couple of months. Fans do not seem happy by Bielsa’s departure but in truth the club have been very poor. It is just 7 points earned from their last 10 games and they have conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 60 so far. That is more than Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea combined.
The new man in charge is Jesse Marsch who is virtually unknown in England given that he played his whole career in the MLS. He has managed Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls in the MLS also. In Europe his first managerial job was with Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg and it was a successful one winning the double in his first season and he won 4 trophies in just two seasons before being snapped up by RB Leipzig. This venture in the Bundesliga did not end well though and he was sacked just six months later with a win rate of 38%. So, for now there will be question marks over his arrival.
But Leeds need victories as they come into this game in 16th place and just 2 points from the drop. The worry for the club is that Everton and Burnley who are in 17th and 18th place have games in hand over them too. Leeds have lost their last 4 games in a row and have conceded 17 goals in those matches and they haven’t won a game for two months.
Team News:
Leicester: Wesley Fofana is likely to return in one week as an act of precaution after his long term leg injury. Justin James is only 50/50 to make this game after his recent muscle injury. Jonny Evans is out for another three weeks with a hamstring, Timothy Castagne has a thigh injury which looks likely to keep him out for 3 weeks and Ryan Bertrand is out long term with his knee.
Leeds: Kalvin Phillips was due to return but he has had a setback with his hamstring injury. The latest news on Patrick Bamford’s foot injury is not good news but he is being tipped to return before the end of the season. Leo Fuhr Hjelde has a knee injury but is expected back in 10 days time. Sam Greenwood is out long term with a knee injury as is Liam Cooper with his hamstring.
Leicester vs Leeds Head to Head:
In the reverse fixture the game finished 1-1.
Last season this fixture finished 3-1 to Leeds.
For 4 meetings in a row both teams have scored.
Leicester vs Leeds Prediction:
Our pick at decent odds is to see Leicester win back to back games. The team looked very slick against Burnley and it was a real test of character for the club who had been under achieving this season to go to an in form side and not only get a win but keep a clean sheet too. Leicester should have too much for a Leeds side who are in poor form as we know but also have key players out. Look at Jamie Vardy he just continues to score goals and he should get plenty of opportunities to do so against Leeds who are conceding on average 2 goals per game.
Jesse Marsch will have a lot to deal with although normally there is a positive reaction for a club when a new manager steps in. The problem though is that the Leeds players seemed to like Bielsa and suddenly he is out and everything has changed. How does Marsch implement his ideas in such a short period of time to a team who are so used of playing the Bielsa way? He may make good progress but we don’t see it will be instant and the struggle will be real for the American.
Leicester vs Leeds Betting Tips:
Leicester to beat Leeds at 1.80
Leicester to score 2+ goals at 1.62
Anytime goalscorer: Jamie Vardy at 1.72
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