After being eliminated from the UEFA Europa League last Thursday, Leicester will no fully shift their focus back to the EPL. This is perhaps not such a bad thing for the Foxes seeing as it has been a pretty average season for them where they are currently eighth on the table with just 22 points and a record of six wins, four draws and six losses. Their defense has been the biggest disappointment for them this season. They are now the fifth worst team defensively in the league and they have let in a total of 27 goals. However, they did show some improvement in their last match against Newcastle where they managed to keep their first clean sheet since the opening match of the season. Their 4-0 win against the Magpies last Sunday was their first win in three matches, while their attack also showed promise by scoring more than two goals in a match for only the second time in eight matches. Brendan Rogers’ team have a great chance of putting in back-to-back dominating performances on Thursday night against a Tottenham side that will be missing a considerable number of their top players due to Covid issues in their camp. The Foxes themselves have not been spared the Covid devastation that is running through the league, but luckily for them top players like Vardy and Maddison will still be available at their disposal and give them a good chance at picking up a third consecutive home EPL win.

On Sunday Spurs’ EPL match got postponed due to another Covid outbreak in their camp for the second time this season. In addition to this, their UEFA Conference League clash with French team Rennes on Thursday was also postponed which means Tottenham have now gone 10 days without playing a competitive match. They currently sit in seventh place on the EPL table with 25 points and two games in hand and have a record of eight wins, one draw and five losses. The Covid outbreak has come as a real blow to Conte’s men who were right in the middle of a promising recovery that took some time to get going after the Italian joined the club. The Lillywhites built up some good momentum with wins against Leeds, Brentford and Norwich but it’s unclear if they will be able to keep this good run going with a victory against Leicester due to so many key players being out of action for the clash. These include names like Hueng-min Son and Lucas Moura, but at least Spurs will have the likes of Kane and Bergwijn available up front. It’s not going to be an easy task for Tottenham on Thursday night but if they can pull off a win despite being out of action for 10 days and despite missing some key players, it will be a massive confidence booster and increase their chances of finishing in the Top 5 tremendously considering they have a couple of games in hand.

Tottenham leads the head-to-head between the two sides when looking at their last five EPL clashes. Spurs have picked up three wins, while Leicester have managed two. The last time these two teams met was at the King Power Stadium in May this year where they played an absolute thriller that saw six goals and Spurs winning 4-2. The Foxes last win against Spurs came in the reverse fixture that same season which saw them winning 2-0 in London, while their last win at home against Spurs was back in the 2019/20 season.

Prediction

Although Tottenham managed to put on an impressive run before they were hit with a Covid outbreak I think those victories should be taken with a grain of salt. They were comfortable wins but they were against lower-end teams and also on their home turf, two factors that will not be present in this clash. One also has to consider the fact that they could be a bit rusty since they have missed their last two competitive matches, while their overall away form is also not too impressive with only one win in their last five away matches. Leicester are in a similar situation as Spurs with their latest two wins coming at home against lower end teams. However, I think they will have a slight edge in this clash since they do have the home advantage along with more momentum than their opponents. Four out of the last five matches between the two sides have seen three or more goals, but I am not expecting to see many goals on Thursday. I expect both teams to put in sub-par performances due to the disruptions in their squad, but I suspect that the Foxes will be able to snatch up a narrow win considering their attack is in slightly better shape right now. I am going to have a crack at Leicester to win, as well as under 2.5 goals which are both available at a little bit over even money. For goalscorers I will go for Jamie Vardy to score the first goal since he has scored seven goals in his last seven appearances against Spurs.

BetOlimp Best Bets

Leicester to win – 2.21
Total Goals: Total 2.5 Under – 2.14
First Goalscorer: Jamie Vardy – 4.20