EPL Odds: Can Leicester Hold on against Man U?

Leicester City (+500) vs Manchester United (-140), Draw (+300)

In a battle of disappointing teams, Manchester United (11-9-3, 42 points) will travel to meet defending champions Leicester City (5-6-12, 21 points) on Sunday, February 5, in the 24th fixture of the Premier League.

Neither team is having a great season. Man U is flailing in sixth place while Leicester are hovering just above relegation in 16th, just three points from the relegation zone. United may be undefeated in their last 14 league games, but they are also winless in three. Meanwhile, Leicester have lost their last three consecutive games.

Leicester’s dramatic fall from grace after their fairy-tale title win last year is puzzling for everyone involved. It was expected that they wouldn’t reach such lofty heights this season, but to go from champions to a relegation-threatened side in one season is unprecedented. What makes this even more peculiar is that the lineup is more-or-less unchanged from 2015-16. They still have their breakout stars — Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Shinji Okazaki, etc.

The only player missing is star midfielder N’Golo Kante, who left the Foxes for Chelsea before the start of the season. Kante was celebrated last year, but it is only now that he’s gone that his true impact at Leicester is being recognized. For a team that relies heavily on the counter-attack, a midfielder that can quickly transition play from defense to attack is crucial. Kante was the glue that held the team together. Without an appropriate replacement for him, Leicester have floundered.

Man U may be unbeaten in over three months of league games, but their last two games have ended in disappointing draws: 0-0 against 19th-place Hull, and 1-1 against 9th-place Stoke. United have established themselves as an extremely tough team to beat, but they have done a poor job on capitalizing on what should be easy wins. Just like last year, goal scoring continues to be a massive problem, with just 33 through 23 matches. All five teams above them in the standings have scored at least 45.

Leicester have an impressive record playing out of King Power Stadium, losing only three home games this season. Their chances of pulling off a win against Man U are slim, but given how the Red Devils are playing at the moment, a draw seems very achievable for the Foxes.

Pick: Draw (+300).

Photo credit: “Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City goalkeeper” by Ben Sutherland, CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr.