Leicester – Wolves : Preview & Prediction
The sacking of Brendan Rodgers has not stopped Leicester’s alarming slide, with a pair of defeats since the manager’s departure leaving the Foxes in serious trouble in their battle to avoid relegation. The Premier League (PL) champions of the 2015/16 campaign have now lost nine of their last ten games in all competitions (E1) and find themselves two points adrift of relegation.
Dean Smith is the man charged with reversing the club’s worst run since 2014, but he was unable to prevent his new side suffering a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in his first game in charge over the past weekend. He is motivating fans to get behind the team, insisting that “togetherness will be part of what keeps us up,” but those supporters will be concerned that a nine-year spell in the top flight is coming to an end after recording four consecutive home defeats in league action.
Looking to extend that losing streak are Wolverhampton Wanderers, who may feel that one more win will be enough to secure their own place in the PL. Julen Lopetegui’s side go into the weekend seven points clear of the relegation zone with seven games remaining, helped by back-to-back wins – clean sheets included – over Chelsea and Brentford.
Both wins were recorded at Molineux, although they add up to little recent success on opposition soil. However, if it’s any consolation to Wolves fans, their two away league wins (E5, P8) came against teams also in the relegation battle such as Everton and Southampton, while their overall away record against teams currently below them in the table is respectable (G2, E2, P2).
Players to watch: Leicester will be hoping James Maddison can lead the offense, as he has won each of the last five games in which he has scored, including against Wolves in October. Trying to outdo him could be Diego Costa, who scored Wolves’ first goal against Brentford to ensure they now have an unbeaten 21 games in which they have found the back of the net (G17, E4).
Key stat: Wolves have never scored an away goal against Leicester in the PL (E2, P3).
Leicester – Wolves : Betting Tips
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 2.25
