Preview
Leicester vs West Ham Betting Tips
Saturday, 31/12/2016
King Power Stadium
Leicester look to drop the curtains on a bittersweet 2016 with a win over visiting West Ham on New Year’s Eve. It’s needless to say that 2016 will be the most unforgettable of years for any Leicester City fans in the future. The Foxes had stunned the world last season when they defied all odds to land the Premier League silverware. However, the Foxes have been brought down to earth by Premier League’s harsh reality as the reigning champions lie 15th in the table this season with only four wins from eighteen league matches. King Power is no longer the impregnable fortress as it was last season but still Leicester would hope to bounce back from their 2-0 home defeat against Everton on Monday and steer away from the drop zone.
‘Tis the season to be jolly at West Ham. Three successive wins over the festive period have breathed life into West Ham’s frail league campaign and manager Slaven Bilic eyes a fourth win on the trot when they visit the reeling champions. The Hammers walked heavy on the Liberty Stadium to register a fabulous 4-1 win against the hosts on Monday. Andrew Ayew scored his first goal for West Ham, that too against his former employees, to open the scorings. Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll followed afterwards, making Fernando Llorente’s 88th minute strike nothing more than a consolation.
TEAM NEWS
- Leicester City
Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs return to add steel in the back. The duo was suspended for the Everton game and had nothing to do but watch their side surrender a 2-0 defeat to the Toffees. Jamie Vardy still has two more matches of suspensions to serve, meaning Islam Slimani and Shinji Okajaki might be paired up to breach the West Ham defense.
Suspension: Jamie Vardy(3 matches, 2 left)
- West Ham United
Bilic has no new suspension or injury problems to deal with, allowing him to field an unchanged side.
Injuries: James Collins(calf), Arthur Masauku(knee), Reece Oxford(lack of match fitness), Alvaro Arbeloa(leg), Gokhan Tore(thigh), Diafra Sakho(back)
Doubts: Simone Zaza(lack of match fitness), Manuel Lanzini(rib), Sam Byram(lack of match fitness)
PREDICTION
Leicester will have a stronger defense in front of the West Ham attack as Fuchs and Huth return to the squad. Slaven Bilic’s side have improved massively in their past few games and they would be the favorites here but we have a feeling that Leicester will grind out a point from this fixture.
RECENT FORM
- Leicester City(15th in the league, last 5 matches in all competitions)
0-2(Home, Everton)2-2(Away, Stoke)0-1(Away, Bournemouth)4-2(Home, Manchester City)0-5(UCL, Away, Porto)
- West Ham United(11th in the league, last 5 matches in all competitions)
4-1(Away, Swansea)1-0(Home, Hull)1-0(Home, Burnley)2-2(Away, Liverpool)1-5(Away, Arsenal)
HEAD TO HEAD
Total Played | West Ham wins | Leicester wins | Draws |
126 | 51 | 45 | 30 |
LAST MEETING
17 April, 2016
King Power Stadium
Premier League
Leicester 2-West Ham 2
INTERESTING FACTS
- Leicester are unbeaten in their last three in the Premier League against West Ham (W2 D1) – they’ve never gone four without defeat against the Hammers in the Premier League.
- West Ham last failed to score against Leicester in a league match in August 2004 (in the Championship).
- West Ham have only beaten the reigning Premier League champions once in an away match (D1 L18), beating Manchester United 1-0 in December 2001.
- Leicester City haven’t lost their final league match of a calendar year since 2010, winning three and drawing two in the five years since.
- The Foxes have lost two of their last four home Premier League games – as many as they’d lost in their previous 31 top-flight matches at the King Power Stadium.
- West Ham have won their last three Premier League games – they last won four consecutively in February 2014.
- Leicester are without a clean sheet in any of their last 11 Premier League games, their worst run since August 2014 (also 11 games). They last went on a longer run in April 2002, when they went 14 top-flight games without a shutout.
- Since the start of last season, Michail Antonio has scored 16 Premier League goals for West Ham – five more than any other Hammers player (Payet and Carroll on 11).
- Foxes midfielder Andy King’s last league brace came against West Ham in a Championship encounter in October 2011.
- Leicester have made the second worst start by a top-flight reigning champion after 18 games (17 points), since Ipswich Town in 1962/63 (15 points, assuming three for a win).