Leicester vs Wolves Best Bet: Betting Preview

Matthew O’Regan is on hand with his Leicester vs Wolves best bet preview. The two Midlands-based sides are embroiled in a Premier League relegation battle, so tensions will be high at the KingPower in what should be an entertaining game.

Leicester vs Wolves Best Bet: Goals the play in relegation battle

England, Premier League, Sunday, December 22nd, 14:00 (UK)

A bumper Sunday of Premier League action sees five games take place. Two teams embroiled in a relegation battle in Leicester and Wolves face off at the King Power Stadium. 

It has been a mixed start to the Ruud Van Nistelrooy era, starting with a 3-1 home win over West Ham, despite the visitors winning the xG battle 1.67- 3.10. In a game they were outclassed in for the majority, Leicester scored two goals in the games dying embers to rescue a point against Brighton, before losing 4-0 to Newcastle in a drab performance. 

The blank at St James Park was only the second time Leicester failed to score this season, with the other coming at Old Trafford without Jamie Vardy. The Foxes have scored 21 goals and conceded 34 in 16 games, with their matches averaging 3.44 goals. Of their 16 games, 12 have seen at least three goals. 

19th-place Wolves parted company with Gary O’Neil after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Ipswich, making it four straight losses for the Old Gold. The two goals they conceded embodied the struggles under O’Neil, with Matt Doherty deflecting the ball past goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. The Tractor Boys’ winner, a Jack Taylor header, was the 14th set piece goal Wolves have conceded from a set piece – the most in the league.

They have now conceded 40 goals this season – the most in the league, while their 24 goals scored the most in the bottom nine of the league. Wolves games are averaging four goals, with 13/16 seeing over 2.5 goals – the joint most in the league. 13 of their last 14 games have seen at least three goals, the exception a 2-0 win over Southampton in which The Saints had a goal ruled out. 

Wolves will be boosted by the fact Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen was substituted at halftime in the 4-0 loss to Newcastle, with backup goalkeeper Danny Ward no-where near the high standards of the Dane.

While relegation games are normally cagey, low-margin affairs, all things point to goals in an all-midland clash. 

• Leicester vs Wolves Prediction: Both Teams To Score and Over 2.5 Goals (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.90
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 10/10 (TRACKED BET)

Leicester vs Wolves prediction odds via bet365 as at 16:00, December 17, 2024. Odds may now differ.

Leicester vs Wolves Injuries, Team News and Possible Lineups Best Bet: Suspensions To Haunt Wolves?

The story of recent weeks has been the extraordinary scenes that followed the losses to West Ham and Ipswich. At the London Stadium, Mario Lemina got in a confrontation with Jarrod Bowen and was eventually stripped of captaincy. Rayan Ait-Nouri was also sent off after the final whistle against Ipswich, while Matheus Cunha was seen pushing a member of the Ipswich squad. He will likely face a suspension but should be able to play on Sunday. 

On the injury front, Boubacar Traore, Jose Sa, Pablo Sarabia, Sasa Kalajdzic and Yerson Mosquera remain out. 

Leicester have a host of injuries, with Harry Winks, Abdul Fatawu, Odsonne Edouard, Wilfred Ndidi and Ricardo Pereira missing. Facundo Buonanotte should start after his strange benching at Newcastle. 

Leicester possible starting lineup:
Ward; Justin, Okoli, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Skipp, Soumare; Buonanotte, El Khannous, Mavididi; Vardy

Wolves possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; Semedo, Bueno, Gomes, Doherty; Lemina, Gomes, Bellegarde; Guedes, Cunha, Larsen

Match OPTA Stats

• Leicester are unbeaten in all six of their Premier League home games against Wolves (W4 D2), conceding  just one goal in that run. They’ve won each of their last three against them at the King Power Stadium. 
• The six Premier League meetings between Leicester and Wolves at the King Power Stadium have seen just  seven goals scored, compared to 21 in the six between the sides at Molineux. 
• Wolves lost 2-1 against Ipswich Town last time out in the Premier League – they’ve not lost consecutive  top-flight matches against promoted sides since a run of three in 1983-84 (2 vs QPR, 1 vs Leicester). 
• Between December 2020 and October 2022, Leicester won 12 of their 14 Premier League games against  sides in the relegation zone (D1 L1). Since then, the Foxes have won just one of their six matches against  sides in the bottom three (D3 L2). 
• Leicester have scored in all eight of their Premier League home games this season – they netted exactly  once in each of their six under Steve Cooper but have scored five in their two so far under Ruud van  Nistelrooy. 

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