Leicester City welcome Crystal Palace to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon for what could turn out to a surprisingly positive encounter. Claude Puel has got Leicester back to their brilliant best and a return to home soil after two away victories over Newcastle and Southampton will be welcomed ahead of the busy festive period.
Meanwhile, Palace have also performed admirably in recent weeks. Roy Hodgson has had a positive impact since his appointment at the helm and the Eagles have lost just one of their last eight games. This could be where that run ends though – Leicester are on a four-match winning run of their own and 19/20 is an excellent price for a home victory.
Fantastic Foxes Can’t Stop Winning
Puel will have enjoyed Wednesday’s victory away at Southampton more than most after his mistreatment whilst in charge of Saints. Four wins on the spin have lifted Leicester into the top half of the table and it is difficult to back against the Foxes right now. Their winning run will end at some point but that won’t stop supporters from enjoying themselves.
Riyad Mahrez, a key figure in Leicester’s incredible title-winning campaign, has been in a rich vein of form in recent weeks and he could make the difference again here. The Algeria man has now scored three goals in his last four appearances for Puel’s side and is priced at 12/5 to extend that scoring run. Considering his form, that is a price well worth taking…
Eagles Not Soaring Just Yet
As previously mentioned, Palace are on a decent run of their own but Hodgson’s men will be wary of a collapse. Unbeaten in six, the Eagles have won just two of those games – drawing four. At some stage, those draws are going to turn into victories or defeats; Palace need to start picking up wins sooner rather than later.
Making Palace difficult to beat was Hodgson’s first task and he has certainly achieved that in his short tenure at Selhurst Park. Those who fancy the visitors to continue their run can back the Eagles to draw OR win at 22/25 in 888sport’s double chance market. With three defeats in their last four games against Leicester, the omens are not on their side mind.
Prediction
Both teams will be quietly confident heading into this one but Leicester should have enough to get the job done on home soil. The Foxes are well priced at 19/20 but those looking for a little extra value should consider the 47/20 on offer for Leicester to win to nil.
Puel’s side are not necessarily renowned for their defensive stability but Palace offered very little until the dying embers of Tuesday night’s win over Watford and the Foxes can keep Christian Benteke and co at bay.
LEICESTER 2-0 CRYSTAL PALACE (Priced at 8/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
