Leicester City moved into the top ten after their 2-1 home win over Tottenham on Tuesday. They look to beat another top six side as they host Burney who are three places and eight points above them.
A 2-1 home win over Tottenham on Tuesday was Leicester’s best win of the season so far. A major characteristic of their season has been getting decent results against sides outside the top seven but suffering one defeat after another against the elite of the Premier League. After defeats by Arsenal, both Manchester clubs, Chelsea and Liverpool, they finally got a win against a top side with two goal of the season contenders from Jamie Vardy and Rhyad Mahrez.
That win ended a run of three league games without a win and took them up to ninth in the table. There’s a four-point gap to Watford in eighth City’s last five home league and cup games have only seen one defeat and that was to Manchester City. Consistency is a problem that City must overcome. The last time they won two straight league games was in April of this year while in that sudden rush of form that they discovered directly after Claudio Ranieri had been sacked. If Vardy and Mahrez can play like they did on Tuesday, there’s a chance they might be able to break that inconsistent spell.
Away form for Burnley last season was a total nightmare. They only managed seven points and had to wait until April to get their only win at Crystal Palace. Only their home form kept them in the Premier League but this season they already have four away wins with 14 points from seven games, double what they got from 19 last season.
Last weekend saw them lose in the dying moments at home to Arsenal, but they bounced back with a 2-1 win away at Bournemouth. It’s not as if Burnley have had a kind fixture list with trips to Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool bringing them five points. Defence is a strong point too despite the sale of Michael Keane to Everton. 14 league games have seen them concede just 11 times, compared to the 55 in 38 last season. Chris Wood now has five goals for the season and Robbie Brady scored a cracker at Bournemouth in midweek.
With a run of games coming up against Watford, Stoke City and Brighton and Hove Albion on their way, there’s the chance Burnley could close the gap on the top four which is only three points at present. The thought of Burnley making it into European competition is probably not something many thought of when the season began, but the longer this run of form continues, the more likely a place in the Europa League at best will be.
Conclusion
This has the potential of being a fascinating game. Leicester put in a sparkling display against Tottenham in midweek, while Burnley put in another impressive performance on the road to get another three points. The fact that Everton have finally appointed a new boss will also cheer Burnley fans who must have been worried Sean Dyche might have left for Goodison. Only Manchester City have been able to get a home win against Burnley this season but if Leicester City can play as they did in midweek, it wouldn’t be too surprising if this ended in a home win, though a bet on both teams to score looks the best to go for.
The Key Stats
Last Five Premier League Results – Most recent first
Leicester City – WDLDW
Burnley – WLWWW
Head to Head – Last Five League Meetings
31/01/17 – Burnley 1 Leicester City 0
17/09/16 – Leicester City 3 Burnley 0
25/04/15 – Burnley 0 Leicester City 1
04/10/14 – Leicester City 2 Burnley 2
29/03/14 – Burnley 0 Leicester City 2
- Leicester City have only lost one of their last 11 home games against Burnley.
- Leicester City are unbeaten in their last six home games against Burnley.
- Burnley’s last win at Leicester was in 2007.
- Leicester City have conceded in seven of their last eight league and cup games.
- Both Teams have scored in six of the last eight Leicester City matches.
- Burnley have won four out of their seven away league matches with their only away defeat being at Manchester City.
- 11 of the last 13 Burnley games have had under 2.5 goals scored in them.
- Four of the last six Burnley away games have had under 2.5 goals scored in them.