Leicester City vs West Brom Preview
With the first spot of the EFL Championship 2023-24 in sight, Leicester City is all set to take on West Bromwich Albion in a heavyweight clash this weekend. The battle of the table toppers is scheduled to take place on 20th April, Saturday, at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. Playing one game less than the first boy of the league, Ipswich Town, the Foxes are in the second position in the league standings with 88 points. A victory at home will send them into the pole position, with just three games remaining in the season’s cycle. Leicester City, who aim to bounce back from two consecutive defeats in the EFL Championship at the hands of Plymouth and Millwall respectively, would not find a better opponent than West Bromwich Albion at this moment as the former has a great winning record in this fixture. The Baggies, on the other hand, will head to Leicester after suffering a narrow 0-1 defeat against Sunderland last week. Sitting in the fifth spot in the league with 72 points, their first concern should be to stay in the top-six as there will be a chance for them to get a promotion into the English top tier next season.
Enzo Maresca, the coach of Leicester City, will want his team to secure a hat-trick of victories at home since the first week of March, with direct Premier League promotion looming ahead. They are now fighting with Ipswich Town (89), Leeds United (87) and Southampton (84) for the silverware this term as every match looks like a final for these top-four sides. As both the Foxes and the Baggies are ready to give everything on line to move back to the first division of the English league cycle, an electrifying game is expected to be on the cards at King Power Stadium at noon.
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Leicester City vs West Brom Team News
Leicester City
Except for Kasey McAteer there is only one major case of injury at the Foxes’ camp. McAteer has been missing for over two and half months, and is expected to be a long-term absentee, given the gravity of his injury. Harry Souttar has already missed five games in the trot this season, and will not be available for the pick this weekend. Wanya Marcal, Match Albrighton, and Kelechi Iheanacho are expected to return to the squad after missing out on last week’s Plymouth game. As things stand, Leicester will have a squad of full-strength for their home game on Saturday. Jamie Vardy should start in the playing XI in this game.
West Bromwich Albion
Due to yellow card rules, Brandon Thomas Asante will not be able to feature in this fixture as he will serve a one-game suspension for picking up two yellows in the last game. However, his absence might serve a chance for Josh Maza, who has been gearing up for an opportunity since returning from injury earlier this month. Coach Carlos Corberan will also miss the service of Jason Molumby and Daryl Dike, with both of them sidelined through major injuries. Additionally, Martin Kelly is also not in contention to feature at King Power Stadium.
Leicester City Predicted Line-up: Hermansen; Faes, Vestergaard, Justin, Pereira, Winks, Praet, Fatawu, Dewsbury-Hall, Mavididi, Vardy
West Bromwich Albion Predicted Line-up: Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipre, Townsend, Mowatt, Chalobah, Fellows, Diangana, M. Johnstone, Josh Maza
Leicester City vs West Brom Head-to-head
The two teams have locked horns 19 times across all competitions till date, with the Foxes winning 8 times and the Baggies going over the line on 7 occasions. The last game between these two Championship heavyweights took place in the month of December last year when Leicester City ran away with a marginal 2-1 win at West Bromwich.
Last five head-to-head stats:
West Bromwich 1-2 Leicester City (2023, Championship)
Leicester City 3-0 West Bromwich (2021, Premier League)
West Bromwich 0-3 Leicester City (2020, Premier League)
West Bromwich 1-4 Leicester City (2018, Premier League)
Leicester City 1-1 West Bromwich (2017, Premier League)
Leicester City vs West Brom Prediction
Following Premier League relegation last year, Leicester City is leaving no stone unturned to get their place back in the English top flight. Despite a few setbacks, they are performing at a high level, depicting why they are the favorites to win the EFL Championship this term. The Foxes have raked up 79 goals in 42 games and are also looking strong defensively. With the league title and Premier League promotion on the line, they are expected to go the extra mile to clinch a win against West Bromwich this weekend at home. On the flip side, the Baggies will also aim to win this away fixture to stay alive in the English top-tier promotional race. However, given the recent performance from both teams, it can be assessed that King Power Stadium is going to witness a nail-biting contest at noon.
Predicted Scoreline: Leicester City 2-1 West Bromwich
Leicester City vs West Brom Odds & Betting Tips (Subject to change)
Betting Tips
Leicester to beat West Bromwich
Both teams to score
Goals over 2.5 – yes
Odds
Leicester: 4.62
Draw: 2.48
West Bromwich: 4.18
Leicester City vs West Brom Schedule & Telecast Details
Venue: King Power Stadium
Schedule: Saturday, 20th April at 12:30 PM (GMT)
India: FanCode (Selective match)
UK: Sky Sports
USA: ESPN