While other sides have lost ground in the Premier League table due to postponements or poor results, Manchester City have progressed with two emphatic wins in a week. Victories over Leeds United and Newcastle United saw Pep Guardiola’s men hit no fewer than 11 goals without reply.
Coming away from the Etihad with a point is a daunting prospect for Leicester City but, even if the result is as clear cut as the match odds suggest, there should be some interesting betting options for this Boxing Day encounter (3pm Sunday).
So how will this apparently one-sided Premier League clash work out? Read on for our match preview with odds guide and betting tips.
It’s rare for a Leicester City side to go into any match as the 16/1 outsiders but that sums up Manchester City’s last two games. The hosts have been dominant and the home team start as red hot favourites at 2/11 in many places. Completing the match betting is the draw which can be claimed at a general 13/2.
Leicester have been inactive in the EPL since December 12th when they matched Manchester City by beating Newcastle by a 4-0 scoreline. A penalty shootout loss to Liverpool in the EFL Carabao League Cup, when they had been leading 3-1, would not have helped the morale in the camp.
It has been a mixed season for the Foxes and, while there have been some impressive results, they will need a big lift in form if they are going to upset that market on Sunday.
As they have been throughout the season, the 11 goals in those two most recent league wins were shared around the Manchester City side. Riyad Mahrez remains the club’s leading scorer this season and he is one of four City players available at 5/1 to open the scoring in this match.
Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling are the others who can be claimed at those 5/1 odds. The first representative for Leicester City is, not surprisingly, Jamie Vardy who is listed at best odds of 12/1. That figure puts him behind almost all of the Manchester City side but Vardy is a genuine threat in that first goalscorer market with nine goals in 15 league games this season.
In our other regular side markets, Both Teams to Score rises just above the even money mark with some minor bookies. Generally, with the most trustworthy bookmakers, it is evens. It’s rare for Both Teams Not to Score to carry the lower figures but that option attracts a top price of just 20/23.
Over in the Total Goals betting, a stake above the 2.5 line will currently be met with odds of 4/9 but we can push that further to over 3.5 and claim an odds against figure of 11/10.
As for the regular correct score suggestions, this EPL match preview feels that Leicester should get on the scoresheet and a 3-1 home win will attract some interest at best odds of 11/1. If you feel that the Foxes can escape with parity, a 2-2 outcome could be the way to go at a top price of 28/1.
EPL Match Preview Conclusion: The Citizens vs Foxes Betting Tips’ Verdict
In terms of the result, it should be closer than the match result betting suggests but Manchester City should still close out the three points. The home win holds no interest at 2/11 so we’ll need to look elsewhere for the first of our betting tips.
Having personally staked over the 3.5 goal line in Manchester City’s last two games, I’ve claimed reasonable profits despite the opposition failing to find the net. Leicester are more potent than Leeds or Newcastle, so it seems logical to start with that same over 3.5 bet. Best odds of 23/20 are relatively short in this market but as long as they climb above evens, they are worth considering.
For the second bet of the day, you could look at Both Teams to Score. It’s rare to see this listed at an odds against figure but evens is fair enough, considering that Manchester City have kept three consecutive clean sheets in the league.
We feel that Leicester will end that run but, instead of claiming BTTS, we’ll aim for a higher return at 10/3 on Jamie Vardy to score at any time in 90 minutes. Along with that solid record in the league, the former England striker scored twice in midweek against Liverpool and he is the Foxes’ most likely source of goals.
An entertaining 90 minutes should be in store here and, while it’s hard to see beyond a home win, we can still make some good returns in a high scoring encounter.
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. 