The King Power Stadium is the destination for the first Premier League game back following the latest international break. Ahead of the interruption, Leicester City were just starting to gain some momentum after a slow start while leaders Chelsea dropped two valuable points in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Burnley.
The top online UK bookmakers have identified their favourite for Saturday’s 12.30pm kick off (TV: Live n BT Sport) but is the result as clear cut as the odds’ markets suggest? Read on for our LCFC vs CFC preview with betting tips.
Chelsea are odds-on across the board with most outlets quoting 3/4 on a win for Thomas Tuchel’s side. The draw comes next at a general 13/2 while a win for Leicester can be claimed at best industry odds of 4/1.
The current EPL leaders go into this game with an 11-point advantage over Leicester who are in 12th place. The form guide is a little closer with Chelsea picking up 13 points over the last six games as opposed to the Foxes’ nine. The trends and statistics do tend to back up those prices but, with home advantage, Leicester City will be hopeful of picking up a point at the very least.
Some of the most potent strikers in world football will be queuing up in front of goal so the individual scoring markets will be interesting for this fixture. Romelu Lukaku starts as favourite with most bookies offering 7/2 while Kai Havertz and Timo Werner can both be claimed at 5/1.
The first option from a Leicester point of view is Jamie Vardy, who is quoted at 11/2. We’ve covered previous games where Vardy has drifted in the company of prolific opposition strikers but he has scored seven league goals in 11 matches this season so there could be some value here.
As for a longer-priced option from midfield, Chelsea’s dead ball specialist Mason Mount looks seriously tempting at a best of 9/1.
Elsewhere, Both Teams to Score can be taken for Saturday’s match at 4/5 in most places. Whenever BTTS gets close to even money, it’s worth considering so this preview will analyse that market more closely in a moment.
Also under the spotlight will be Total Goals and we’ll start with the 2.5 line where the odds to go Over this mark stand at evens. If we push one step further and go Above 3.5, this increases to a top price of 27/10.
All of those odds are interesting but what chance do they have of dropping in? Over the course of their last five league games, Leicester have scored nine goals and conceded eight at the back. In the same period of time, Chelsea have scored 15 but have conceded just twice.
The overall scoring average looks good and, based on those numbers, Over 3.5 goals looks a better option than Both Teams to Score although both are worth considering.
Those who are expecting a more comfortable afternoon for the visitors could take a 3-0 win for Chelsea in the Correct Score betting at best odds of 17/1. The 2-2 draw should attract interest at a top price of 18/1 while a 2-1 scoreline in favour of Leicester City is on offer at 16/1.
Our Preview’s LCFC vs CFC Betting Tips’ Verdict
The scoring statistics suggest that the goals markets should be productive this week. Chelsea have been tight at the back in recent weeks but they did concede at home to Burnley last time out and Leicester should offer more potency than the relegation-threatened Clarets.
Both Teams to Score looks likely but we’ll start with Over 3.5 Goals which looks generous at its best odds of 27/10. This could land even if the home side fail to find the net but we suspect that the Foxes will get on the scoresheet.
Leicester’s most likely source of goals is, of course, Jamie Vardy. While his team have struggled, the former England striker has been as prolific as ever with those seven goals in 11 matches.
The anytime goal market has been kind to us this season. It landed last weekend through Aaron Ramsey and Vardy previously delivered a profit at 2/1 when scoring the winner against Manchester United in October.
As for the result, this preview suspects that Chelsea should edge a tighter contest than the odds setters suggest. The away win looks a little too short this week but there is enough value in the goals betting for Saturday’s early encounter. So these are our betting tips:
- Take over 3.5 goals @ best odds of 27/10 with BetVictor.
- Jamie Vardy to score at any time @ 11/5 with Bet365.
Matt Harris is a football & golf writer for Just Bookies. Other sports in his portfolio of specialities include cricket. Matt has contributed to innumerable large organisations and media brands. These include: Betfair, BetVictor, USA Betting & Unibet. 