Leicester vs Newcastle Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

Preview

Haydn Cunningham Mar 07, 2016 @ 05:58 pm

Despite drawing to West Brom last Tuesday, Claudio Ranieri would’ve feared the worst as Tottenham had the chance to overtake them at the top of the table. However, just 5 days later and Leicester now have a 5 point advantage over the chasing clubs and with just 9 games remaining it seems the unthinkable is possible. The last 4 games for Leicester they haven’t been at their best but they’ve still gained 7 points from a possible 12 and were unfortunate to lose at Arsenal on Valentine’s Day. All the stats justify their position in the table in terms of home/away form and goals scored. They average more points at home than any other side in the league whilst they also have the best away record in the league with 31 points from 15 games. Ranieri will be delighted with his side and he has every reason to be but would like Jamie Vardy to get back amongst the goals as it has been 3 matches since the ex-Fleetwood forward has scored and 5 games since scoring from open play.

Steve McClaren is on the verge of losing his job at Newcastle United despite taking over in the summer of 2015. Newcastle have spent a lot of money this year after years of abuse from the fans for the lack of funds provided to the manager. However, player recruitment has been a farce and they simply haven’t performed. The latest 3-1 home defeat to Bournemouth looks to be the icing on the cake for McClaren whose side sit 19^th  with a goal difference of -25. The fans vented their frustration on Saturday after their 16^th league defeat and will be demanding a change of some sort if the club are going to avoid another Premier League relegation. A trip to top of the table Leicester isn’t exactly the fixture Geordie fans will welcome after a run of 7 defeats in the past 8 away league matches.

Leicester have won the past 3 meetings over Newcastle and also kept a clean sheet in each victory. Leicester had gone 9 matches without beating Newcastle before that in a run which stretched back to 2000. The reverse fixture this season was complete domination by Leicester who ran riot at St.James Park in one of their best performances of the season. Newcastle failed to register a shot on target that day and managed just 3 on Saturday against Bournemouth. 

Riyad Mahrez has been involved in more goals than any other player in the Premier League as he scored his 15^th league goal of the season which proved the decisive winner against Watford. He was brought off with 5 minutes to go but he will surely be named in an unchanged side from Ranieri. Whether McClaren has the chance to pick the side remains to be seen but drastic changes are expected. He will be forced into a defensive reshuffle as Paul Dummett sustained an injury against Bournemouth.

Leicester City

Stats: W-17 L-3 D-9

Recent Form – WDWLW

Newcastle United

Stats: W-6 L-16 D-6                                          

Recent Form - LLWLW

Head-to-head record:

Possible Line-ups

Leicester City (4-4-2) – Schmeichel, Fuchs, Morgan, Huth, Simpson, Albrighton, Drinkwater, Kante, Mahrez, Okazaki, Vardy

Newcastle United (4-5-1) – Elliot, Janmaat, S.Taylor, Lascelles, Anita, Sissoko, Shelvey, Colback, Wijnaldum, Perez, Doumbia

Injury List/Suspended Players

Leicester City – James (inj)

Newcastle United – Krul (inj), Haidara (inj), Coloccini (inj), Mbemba (inj), Cisse (inj), Mbabu (inj), Obertan (inj), Dummett (inj)

League Positions