Leicester v Man City
Tuesday December 29, 19:45 GMT
Live on BT Sport 1
Tuesday December 29, 19:45 GMT
Live on BT Sport 1
Leicester
A victory for Arsenal over Bournemouth last night means that Leicester require a win to go into the new year on top of the table. The Foxes suffered only their second defeat of the season on Boxing Day at Anfield. They weren't as good as usual that day and Claudio Ranieiri admitted that he got his tactics wrong.
Bouncing back will be the key and their critics have been saying all year that once theirfantastic run ends, all their momentum will stop and their slide down the division will commence.
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were both subbed off early at Liverpool but they should be back tonight and the pair will be relishing the chance to go up against a City defence who are again without Vincent Kompany.
Manchester City
It's been a strange campaign for City as they have mixed some excellent performances in with some pretty poor ones. The fact of the matter is that while they are still through to the last 16 of the Champions League and only four points behind Arsenal - with a game in hand - given their squad and resources, they should be doing better.
Manuel Pellegrini is under pressure and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that all the silverware in the world this season wouldn't keep him in a job as the shadow of Pep Guardiola looms large.
Sergio Aguero should return to the side following his absence against Sunderland but it is highly unlikely that Vincent Kompany will be in the squad after his bitterly disappointing 10 minute comeback on Boxing Day. It's back to the treatment table for the Belgian and that's a huge blow to City.
Match Odds
Leicester 4.20 Man City 1.94 The Draw 4.00
I can't believe the price of Leicester here. Just because they underperformed once doesn't mean they will suddenly go on a losing streak. They managed to put a 5-2 loss to Arsenal behind them earlier in the campaign and since that match Ranieri's men have taken 10 points from a possible 12 at home against Palace, Watford, Man United and Chelsea.
The visitors have a pretty shocking away record given their position in the table as after winning their first three away games of the season, they have since gone on to draw two and lose three of their next five. They scored just twice during that period, yet conceded eight times themselves.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Over 2.5 Goals 1.64 Under 2.5 Goals 2.52
The clear favourite is over 2.5 goals and I wouldn't put you off backing it. The strength of both clubs is attack rather than defence as the pair of them are the joint top scorers with 37 goals - despite playing a game less than most other teams - yet when it comes to defensive records, neither of them are in the top five - with Leicester actually in the bottom half.
That being said, it's a 1.64 shot and I would rather put my stake on something at a bigger price.
Match Odds and Over 2.5 Goals
That something comes in the match odds and over 2.5 market as you can back Leicester and overs at a very generous 6.20. If Leicester are going to win, they are going to need to score at least a couple of goals I would imagine as I can't see them keeping a clean sheet.
I am going to recommend the straight home win anyway just to cover myself, but this selection istwo points bigger and offers even more value.
A whopping 10 of Leicester's 11 wins this season have gone over 2.5 goals and four of Man City's five defeats have followed suit. It just seems the obvious play and I'm happy to get involved at such big odds.
Cash Out
The bigger the price for a cash out selection, the more opportunity there is to cash out for a huge profit. That leads me to a 3-2 correct score which is currently trading at around the 38.00mark and, if the game goes the way I hope it will, even if it doesn't finish 3-2, those odds should tumble in-play.
Recommended Bets
Back Leicester @ 4.20
Back Leicester and Over 2.5 Goals @ 6.20
Best Cash Out
Back a 3-2 Correct Score @ 38.00
