Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur: A Cunning Plan to Beat the Foxes?

by Matthew Harris · 10th February 2023

Just when you come to accept Spurs letting you down, they go and beat the most successful team in the country over the last ten years. Victory over Manchester City last Sunday might ultimately hand the title to our biggest rivals, but few of us care about that and nor should we.

We’re sure that all teams probably experience something of a rollercoaster, but Tottenham seem to take that to a whole new level. Can we keep the momentum going as we travel to Leicester this Saturday or will it all come crashing down?

Team News

Lucas Moura continues to miss out with his tendon problem and the suggestions that he has played his last game for Spurs are beginning to gain momentum. He has returned to training and could be available soon, but the feeling is that he’s not quite ready for Leicester.

The big breaking news came as we were completing this section. Hugo Lloris will be out for between six to eight weeks after picking up an injury towards the end of Sunday’s match. Fraser Forster will deputise, while various stories develop as to who the club may sign as an emergency loan.

Elsewhere, Pape Sarr battles to be fit following a hip problem, while Cristian Romero serves his one match ban following his red card on Sunday. Pedro Porro and Arnaut Danjuma will be in contention to play their first Premier League games since signing for Spurs last month.

Fraser Forster in 2017

Match Odds

There are odds against figures for all three possible outcomes, but Spurs will start as favourites for this game. The best industry odds on the away win currently stand at 11/10 with 10Bet and Quinnbet while victory for Leicester City is available at 28/11 with VBet. The draw rounds things off at 34/13 with Vbet again.

Following last weekend’s 4-2 win away at Aston Villa, Leicester come into Saturday’s game in 14th place with 21 points from 21 matches. They were strong candidates for relegation after a poor start, but have rallied well since that point.

We have a mixed Premier League record against these opponents and it’s always a tough trip, but Spurs should have some confidence following last Sunday’s result.

Side Markets

Harry Kane realised his destiny by breaking Jimmy Greaves’ all-time scoring record for the club. The winner against Manchester City on Sunday was his 17th in the Premier League this season and his 267th for the club overall.

Harry takes up his usual place as favourite to open the scoring and he can be found at best odds of 18/5 with Unibet to find the net first on Saturday. Elsewhere, January arrival Arnaut Danjuma scored on his debut in the FA Cup, but was an unused substitute against Manchester City last weekend.

Those who feel that the winger could start on Saturday, can consider Danjuma for the first goal at 6/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral. Son Heung-Min is next at 13/2 with Betway, while other options for Spurs backers include Richarlison at 17/2 with Unibet, Dejan Kulusevski at 15/1 with Unibet, Ivan Perisic at 17/1 with Unibet and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at 30/1 with Vbet.

For reference, Jamie Vardy is Leicester City’s first option in this market at 7/1 with Quinnbet and 888Sport.

Away from the players, Both Teams to Score is quoted for Saturday’s match at best odds of 7/10 with Unibet. If you’re edging towards the ‘no’ bet on BTTS, this climbs above Even Money to 6/5 with Coral and Ladbrokes.

Next is our regular look at the Total Goals markets and we’ll start with a modest Over 2.5 goals selection which would currently be met at a top price of 4/5 with VBet. By taking that a stage higher to Over 3.5 goals, this lifts to a best of 135/67 with Vbet again.

The alternative for those who expect a dull 90 minutes could be to consider the Under 2.5 goal bet which is listed at a best of 13/12. Once again, those figures are with VBet.

We’ll finish with some Correct Score suggestions for those that are comfortable with getting involved in a more volatile market. A repeat of last season’s 3-2 away win is on offer at 25/1 with Unibet while a 2-1 victory for Leicester City is available at 11/1 with Quinnbet and Ladbrokes.

Those that are expecting a share of the points at the King Power could opt for the 2-2 draw which can be found at 12/1 with Quinnbet and Unibet.

Last Season

Nobody should need reminding as to what happened at the King Power Stadium in the corresponding fixture of 2022/23. This was the game that was completely transformed in second half injury time, via an unlikely hero in the shape of Steven Bergwijn.

There was no hint of the drama to come as the sides went in level at half time. Patson Daka had opened the scoring for the Foxes, before Harry Kane levelled on 38 minutes. James Maddinson seemed to have sealed the points for Leicester before Bergwijn’s double strike finished it off at 3-2.

Patson Daka

There are some great TV screenshots from the game, showing that we were 2-1 down with just a few seconds left of the stipulated injury time. It was a blissful couple of minutes at the death and it’s worth watching over and over again.

Verdict

Leicester City have responded following their poor start to the season, but their recent form isn’t great. They will have momentum following last week’s 4-2 win at Aston Villa but, across their last six games, they’ve picked up just four points.

They are into the realms of relegation form again, but there’s a lot of buzz around Tete who joined in the summer, while other key men are returning from injury.

Yes we should win, but it will be tough and we’re unlikely to see a wide winning margin on either side. As for suggested bets, we’ll start with an obvious Both Teams to Score. Without Lloris and Romero, we look vulnerable but we’ll attack ourselves and look to take the game Over the 3.5 goal line.

For fear of jinxing Sonny, we’ll add him for an anytime goal.