Brentford return to playing on home soil on Saturday as they host Leicester in West London (3pm). Can the hosts pick up another three points in the Premier League? Or will the visitors claim what would be a huge win for them? Read this Brentford vs LCFC preview, with its betting tips, to find out.
Brentford took their form to a new level on Wednesday evening, as they returned from the south coast with all three points, courtesy of a 0-2 win over struggling Southampton. It was a rather straightforward victory for the Bees during the week. Despite going into the game off the back of a disappointing defeat against Everton, they were the quickest team out of the blocks, grabbing the lead in the first half through the ever-present Ivan Toney and they didn’t look back.
Yoane Wissa scored his fifth of the campaign to both double the lead late in the day and confirm what was a well-deserved win. Such a result should leave Thomas Frank’s men feeling confident ahead of yet another game against struggling opposition.
Struggling is exactly what the Foxes have been doing of late. Like it or not, they are very much a part of what is an enthralling and widespread fight for Premier League survival. When Brendan Rodgers’ men got the better of Tottenham in high-scoring fashion back in February, it looked as though they may have turned a corner, but they have since moved in the wrong direction, so much so that they’re now above the relegation zone on goal difference alone. LCFC are now shortening in the EPL relegation betting odds. It is worrying times for Foxes fans.
Hard to pick holes in home form
The Bees know how to tussle at home. Thomas Frank’s men have the seventh best home record in the division in terms of points accumulated, which is good but doesn’t quite tell the full story. They have only lost once in front of a home crowd this season and are now unbeaten in nine at the Gtech Community Stadium. That’s very impressive.
In recent times, they really have done a pleasing job of confirming superiority at home against teams towards the foot of the table, comfortably beating the likes of Bournemouth and Southampton, while they were always in control against Fulham too. Such form bodes well ahead of a game against a visiting side that has struggled.
What also bodes well for the hosts is their recent offensive record at home. They have scored two or more in four of their last five at home, which is very positive given the fact that Leicester have been shipping goals left, right and centre.
Problems at both ends for the visitors
The Foxes have clear defensive problems, anybody can see that. They have not kept a clean sheet since November, while they have conceded a total of nine goals in their last five games. Perhaps more crucially, they have given away a lot of chances during that time, surrendering an average of 1.88 expected goals. That tells us that they’re not stopping teams from creating. A big problem ahead of a trip to face a Brentford team that certainly knows how to get at sides at Gtech Community Stadium.
Perhaps a greater problem than their lack of defensive solidity is their lack of goals. We saw against both Southampton and Chelsea last week that the Foxes have creative players in their ranks. Both James Maddison and Harvey Barnes carve out opportunities, this is no secret, but Rodgers’ men really do lack a finisher. Kelechi Iheanacho continues to be wasteful, while Patson Daka does not score anywhere near regularly enough. When James Maddison doesn’t produce something showstopping in the final third, Leicester struggle to produce the goods.
Foxes often outfox the Bees
Brentford arrive here in much better shape, but the record of the hosts in this fixture isn’t exactly pleasing. When the pair met earlier in the campaign, they drew 2-2, with the Bees coming from behind late in the second half, drawing through an 86th minute Jay Dasilva goal.
Saturday’s hosts have never beaten Leicester, though, despite having had seven bites of the cherry. Of those seven previous games, the Foxes have won five. When they last visited this venue in late 2021, they won by two goals to one. Interestingly, both teams have scored in each of the four renewals of this fixture since the beginning of 2021, while at least three goals have been scored in those four games too.
Bees to sting for the first time in this fixture
Brentford have never beaten Leicester, but there’s a first for everything and a first win in this fixture is exactly what they can get on Saturday afternoon. Punters can profit from our preferred online bookies by siding with the home win.
If we put Brentford’s overall home picture next to that of Leicester on the road, then this looks like a slight mismatch. While the Bees collect an average of 2.00 points per game at home, the Foxes pick up average of just 0.92 on the road. The hosts also boast a rather pleasing average expected goal difference of +0.44, while the visitors currently have an xG difference of -0.53 on the road. Those numbers could be telling on the road.
While the visitors struggle to be clinical in front of goal, the Bees, who in Ivan Toney certainly have a regular goal-getter, can take advantage.
Go for home goals
To compliment the home win, ‘Brentford to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ is also advised. The hosts come here having scored twice at Southampton in the week, while they have scored two or more in five of their last six at home.
The Foxes have conceded twice on the road against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, while they’ve now gone five away games in a row without conceding less than two goals.
So our Brentford vs LCFC preview suggests this brace of betting tips:
- Brentford to win @ best odds of evens (1/1) with Betfred.
- Brentford to score over 1.5 goals @ 10/11 with William Hill.
Bradley Gibbs is an experienced football writer. He is an expert analyst on Premier League, and all global football leagues & tournaments, for Just Bookies. Bradley has been published by many respected outlets, including USA Betting and the Racing & Football Outlook. He has also written betting strategy guides.