Prediction: Leicester City vs Bournemouth

Verdict: Double chance Draw-Away

Best odds: 22/25

Bookmaker: Unibet

This weekend, a number of interesting matches involving teams locked in the Premier League survival battle will take place, and while some face opposition from the top side of the table, others face each other. Such will be the clash between Leicester City and Bournemouth at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Leicester City

It’s a time of much turbulence at Leicester at the moment. The poor results this season, culminating with the defeat to Crystal Palace on the first day of April, have finally produced the drop that raised the water over the rim of the glass, and Brendan Rodgers has been fired from the position of the manager. The 2021 FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs simply weren’t enough to keep the Northern Irishman in the job anymore, with the current prospect of relegation as the counterweight. Adam Sadler has been appointed as an interim solution, while the club works of finding a suitable, long-term successor for Rodgers.

The Foxes haven’t won a competitive match since the first half of February. Their last-six run in all competitions saw them record no less than five defeats. They were beaten at home by Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round of the FA Cup by 1-2, they lost 1-0 away to bottom side Southampton, they lost 1-3 at home against Chelsea, and finally drew 1-1 away to Brentford. Then they lost 2-1 away to Crystal Palace, Rodgers’ last game in charge, and Sadler began his spell in the dugout with a 1-2 home defeat to Aston Villa earlier this week.

Needless to say, it’s absolutely vital for Leicester to beat Bournemouth as direct relegation-battle rivals. Sitting second from the wrong end of the table with 25 points, just two more than Southampton who are still last, Leicester are actually staring at the back Bournemouth, who have 27, the same as Nottingham Forest, Everton and West Ham. Nothing is decided at this point of course, but there’s no time to waste for any of these teams. They need points, and they need them badly.

Team News

Sadler has a bit of a defensive crisis to work around at the moment. Something has been going on with Jannik Vestergaard lately, some kind of a disciplinary issue which has kept the Danish centre-back out of the squad in recent matches. Having not appeared even on the bench against Aston Villa, he’ll likely sit this one out as well.

Fullbacks James Justin (calf) and Ryan Bertrand (knee) are injured, as is midfielder Youri Tielemans. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is suspended for getting sent off 20 minutes before the end of the Villa defeat.

Danny Ward will be in goal, with Wout Faes and Harry Soutar likely to continue in the heart of defence. Victor Kristiansen and Timothy Castagne are expected to cover the defensive flanks. Dennis Praet is likely to be the man to replace Dewsbury-Hall in midfield and play alongside Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy. Jamie Vardy started upfront the last time, but the 36-year-old Premier League winner will probably make way for Kelechi Iheanacho against the Cherries.

Bournemouth

Having freshly returned to the Premier League and widely branded early on as “probably the worst team in the league”, Bournemouth are fighting tooth-and-nail to survive, and they’ve definitely made some progress lately. Sharing the 27-point tally with three other teams while Leicester and Southampton remain below, they certainly stand a fair chance of playing in the English top flight next season as well, they just need to keep up the good work under Gary O’Neil, who replaced Scott Parker as the manager back in August last year.

Having previously held Newcastle at home to a draw and beaten Wolves away, the Cherries started their last-six run with a 4-1 defeat away to Manchester City. Then they have a really good game away to league leaders Arsenal, losing in the end by 3-2. Their luck changed the very next week, however, as they got a bit of a revenge on Liverpool, 1-0 at home (they lost at Anfield early in the season by 9-0). Then they lost 3-0 away to Aston Villa, beat Fulham at home by 2-1, and lost 0-2 at home to Brighton. It’s a very decent run for a team in their position.

Team News

Winger Junior Stanislas and fullback Ryan Fredericks are working their way back from injury and aren’t available yet. Centre-back Marcos Senesi has a slight thigh problem and remains to be assessed before a decision on his involvement is made.

Captain Neto, who recently signed a new contract set to keep him at the Vitality until 2026, will be between the posts. Chris Mepham would be the obvious choice to line up beside Jack Stephens in the heart of defence, should Senesi miss out. Lloyd Kelly and Adam Smith should be on the defensive flanks. The experienced pair of Jefferson Lerma and Philip Billing will be in the middle of the park, with Ryan Christie and Dango Outtara out in wider positions. Upfront, striker Dominic Solanke is set to have the support of Hamed Junior Traore.

Conclusion

It may seem strange, but this game might actually go against the odds. The bookies mostly favour Leicester to win it, but there’s a significant difference in spirit within these teams and it’s not in Leicester’s favour. Bournemouth are certainly more than capable of leaving the King Power Stadium with something; or everything.

Verdict: Double chance Draw-Away

Best odds: 22/25

Bookmaker: Unibet