Prediction: Leicester City vs Southampton

Verdict: Danny Ings to score

Best odds: 8/5

Bookmaker: bet365

Leicester City are set to welcome Southampton to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon for what should be an interesting game of football in the 22nd round of the 2019/20 season in the Premier League.

Leicester City

Without a doubt the most pleasant surprise of the season in England’s top flight, the Foxes have done better up to this point than many would have believed possible. A departure of one of the best players is very often a sign of troubles to come for most clubs, but having sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United for £80 million last summer and replaced him with Caglar Soyuncu, this team actually looks better as the Turk hit the ground running.

It has been argued that manager Brendan Rodgers wasn’t ready to coach a top Premier League side at the time of his stint with Liverpool (2012-15), despite failing to win the Premier League title with the Reds in 2013/14 by two points. Well, if that’s true, than it should be said that he has certainly matured since those days. It has also been argued that this team of his is even better than the one that actually won the title in 2015/16 with Claudio Ranieri at the helm.

However, the chance of Leicester repeating that success this season are extremely remote, with Rodgers’ former club firmly in the lead with a 13-point advantage of his current one, who sit second. A remarkable result, nonetheless.

Team News

There are several issues Rodgers is facing for this game, especially in midfield. Wilfred Ndidi, a very important part of his team, is out probably for a month with a knee injury. Matthew James hasn’t played in a very long time and though he is now back in training, he still lacks match fitness. Daniel Amartey is out, having picked up a knock on his ankle. Former captain Wes Morgan is out for the next couple of games, while James Maddison is a doubt.

Southampton

The Saints didn’t get off to the best of starts in this campaign. They reached the relegation zone at one point and pressure was mounting on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. It culminated in a 0-9 home defeat to none other than Leicester, albeit with 10 men on the pitch for 80 minutes of the contest after defender Ryan Bertrand saw the red card raised against him.

But Hasenhuttl and his men managed to stem the tide and their results have recently been very good. Since unexpectedly losing at home to West Ham in mid-December, they managed to win away to Aston Villa and Chelsea, draw at home against Crystal Palace and beat Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day. They’ve climbed up the ladder and they’re currently in 12th place, with 25 points to their name.

Team News

The Austrian tactician is without the services of fullback Yan Valery, who hasn’t played due to injury since the win over Watford on the last day of November, but the rest of the squad are at his disposal.

Conclusion

Looking at the table and what the season has shown so far, not to mention the result of the game between these teams at St Mary’s, you’d think this one should be a walk in the park for the home side, but it feels it will be far more difficult for the Foxes this time around. Southampton are a different team now than they were when the two sides last met, and this recent upturn in form could just see them get something from this game. The difference in the number of absent players could also prove an influential aspect, as well as the form of Saints’ striker Danny Ings, who played for a short while under Rodgers at Liverpool. Ings is currently the joint-second scorer of the league with 13 strikes together with Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But the only player to have more on his board is Leicester hitman Jamie Vardy – 17.

Verdict: Danny Ings to score

Best odds: 8/5

Bookmaker: bet365