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Leicester City vs Chelsea Odds & Prediction – Premier League Jan 19

Josh Ricker

by Josh Ricker in Soccer News

Updated Jan 18, 2021 · 11:00 AM PST

Leicester vs Chelsea
Leicester's James Maddison, center, celebrates with Youri Tielemans after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Southampton at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. (Alex Pantling/Pool via AP)
  • On Tuesday, January 19th, at 3:15 PM EST, Leicester City host Chelsea at the King Power Stadium
  • The Foxes currently sit in third place above defending champions Liverpool, while a struggling Chelsea side sit all the way back in seventh
  • The favorites in the match are Chelsea with moneyline odds of +148

Leicester City last lost on the 16th of December in a 2-0 defeat to Everton, however, they will be challenged at home again on Tuesday night against Chelsea. Despite winning their last two against Morecambe and Fulham, the Blues of London have not been at their best as of late. Frank Lampard even seemed to be on the hot seat for a week or so. With that being said, if this game does not go in the favor of Chelsea, they could see West Ham, Southampton or even Aston Villa topple them in seventh place.

Meanwhile, Leicester City look to keep their good run of form going under Brendan Rodgers. James Maddison has been far improved this season, and Jamie Vardy, well he is simply Jamie Vardy. These sides last met in June in the FA Cup, a game Chelsea won by a score of 1-0. With plenty of newcomers for Chelsea, you would think their chances of winning this game would be higher, but both clubs have plus odds to win on Tuesday.

Leicester City vs Chelsea Odds

Matchup Spread Moneyline Total
Leicester City vs Chelsea LEI +0.5 (-180) | CHE -0.5 (+148) LEI +188 | CHE +148 | DRAW +290 Ov 2.5 (-127) | Un 2.5 (+102)

All odds taken Jan. 18th at DraftKings

Can Chelsea Win Against a Big Side?

The big question mark surrounding Chelsea is their lack of performance against the big sides of the Premier League. Lampard and company manage to pile up wins towards the bottom of the table, but the higher placed the team is, the less this team has a chance. The only time Chelsea has defeated a team who started the day in the top half of the table was nearly a month ago against West Ham. Recently, they have dropped points against Aston Villa and were frankly embarrassed against Arsenal and Manchester City.

If this team cannot beat a Leicester side also known for being inconsistent, we might see changes. Nonetheless, Chelsea are fairly fit for the match, which means they could start a lethal attack, on-paper at least. Look for Chelsea to start Timo Werner, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic up top as they look to expose Leicester’s backline. On defense, aside from Jamie Vardy, Chelsea needs to watch for Youri Tielemans or James Maddison getting the ball cut back to them in front of goal.

Leicester City vs Chelsea Domestic Statistics

Leicester City
VS
Chelsea
1.83 Goals per game 1.83
11.8 Shots per game 14.1
52.9% Possession % 57.3%
81.6% Passing % 86.2%

Leicester Has the Chance to Finally Beat Chelsea

Despite how good Leicester have been the past handful of years, Chelsea has had their number for quite a while. The Foxes last win against Chelsea came in 2018, and before that, 2015. In the Premier League, there has been three consecutive fixtures where these two clubs have stalemated. However, Leicester look like a side ready to compete again for the Premier League and a win against Chelsea now would be all the sweeter knowing the implications involved.

Jamie Vardy is back on sensational form, already with 11 goals and five assists this year, and will be a menace to stop for the Chelsea back four. It will be interesting to see how the Englishman performs against two more physical center halves in Zouma and Silva. Chelsea’s defense can be very shaky and with the playmakers Leicester has, I fully expect them to be at sixes and sevens for a good portion of the match.

Leicester vs Chelsea Best Bet

Overall, the best bet for this match is the Leicester moneyline at +188. Chelsea being the favorites in this match after their performances this season does not make much sense at all. History is in favor of the Blues, but this year’s team is vastly different and they have not proved they can get it done against the big clubs. Off the pitch, Leicester is probably better managed as well, with Chelsea getting their tactics wrong too often this year. Chelsea obviously have a chance with the talent they field every match, but all the signs in this one point to Leicester winning.

My Pick: Leicester City moneyline (+188)

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