Leicester v Everton predictions, betting tips and odds

Racing Post

30 April 2023

Leicester v Everton predictions, betting tips and odds

Where to watch Leicester v Everton

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 8pm

Best bet

Leicester
3pts Evs general

Leicester v Everton odds

Leicester Evs
Everton 14-5
Draw 5-2

Odds correct at time of publishing

Leicester v Everton team news

Leicester
Striker Kelechi Iheanacho is ruled out with a groin injury. Ryan Bertrand will hope to be involved but the game is likely to come too early for Jonny Evans and Jannik Vestergaard.

Everton
Seamus Coleman faces a test on a calf injury while Mason Holgate is suspended.

Leicester v Everton predictions

Things are starting to get desperate at the bottom of the Premier League.

Eight teams were in the grip of the relegation battle two weeks ago and, although the field continues to be whittled down, Leicester and Everton are still in the thick of it.

The pair occupy two of the three positions of doom and they have to improve immediately to ensure they are not in the Championship next season. And as they prepare to clash at the King Power in Monday Night Football, the Foxes look more likely to aid their struggle.

Peaks are rarer than troughs when you are down the bottom, but it seems Leicester are on an upward curve since Dean Smith was charged with the task of keeping them up.

They had been going nowhere for weeks and had collected just one point from their previous nine games before the former Brentford and Aston Villa boss came through the door.

Their 3-1 defeat at Manchester City was no disgrace and they posted a bigger expected-goals (xG) figure than the champions.

That will obviously have no bearing on whether they stay up but it has to be a sign of encouragement, particularly as they had enough chances to score at least two goals in their subsequent win over Wolves and Tuesday's draw at Leeds.

There were positives to take from their trip to Elland Road, even though forward Kelechi Iheanacho picked up what could be a season-ending injury.

Youri Tielemans was unfortunate to see his sweet strike from the edge of the box ruled out for offside, while Jamie Vardy came off the bench to score a trademark goal, his first since October.

Emotions are very different at Everton and it is difficult to see the Toffees getting anything from this fixture.

They have posted three wins in Sean Dyche's 13 matches at the helm, all of which have come at Goodison Park, and even their home form has deserted them following comprehensive defeats to Fulham and Newcastle.

Dyche's team have scored in just two of the six away games he has supervised and there looks a strong chance he will be in charge of a relegated side for the second consecutive season after Burnley fell through to the Championship last term.

While Leicester, who went into the weekend as the highest scorers in the bottom half, are creating chances, Everton are not. They have posted an xG figure of 2.0 in just one game all season.

That does not bode well for their chances at the King Power or for them getting enough points in the rest of the campaign to stay in the top flight.

Key stat

Everton have won just one of their 16 Premier League away games this season

Probable teams

Leicester (4-2-3-1): Iversen; Castagne, Faes, Soyuncu, Kristiansen; Tielemans, Soumare; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy
Subs: Daka, Praet, Souttar, Ndidi, Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall, Amartey

Everton (4-3-3): Pickford; Godfrey, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Onana, Gueye, Doucoure; Iwobi, Calvert-Lewin, McNeil.
Subs: Maupay, Simms, Garner, Coady, Davies, Gray, Coleman