Talk about a possible Leicester City revival had to be shelved last week when they were beaten by relegation rivals Bournemouth and having returned to the foot of the Premier League table, the Foxes look vulnerable ahead of their tussle with Crystal Palace today. The Eagles have lost just once on the road this term (vs Man City) and Patrick Vieira’s charges have the personnel to trouble a brittle Leicester defence.
Below, you can find our stats pack for today’s game which is full to the brim with info on corners, cards, xG, fouls, goals, assists on more. If you’re looking for the best source for bet builder options, then you’ve come to the right place.
Predicted Lineups
Full-backs Ricardo Pereira and Ryan Bertrand are still out injured and Wilfred Ndidi has joined them on the sidelines with yet another muscle issue. Nampalys Mendy and Timothy Castagne are both considered doubtful.
Patson Daka scored against Bournemouth last week and though his strike proved to be a consolation effort, it could be enough to keep him in the XI ahead of Jamie Vardy.
Jack Butland, James McArthur, Nathaniel Clyne, Nathan Ferguson and Chris Richards are listed as absent for Crystal Palace.
The Eagles battled back from a goal down to beat Leeds in their last assignment and Patrick Vieira could choose to field the same XI against Leicester today.
Team Stats
Leicester have endured a miserable start to the new campaign and the Premier League’s bottom club have suffered seven defeats in their first nine matches. The Foxes also hold the division’s worst defensive record (24 goals conceded).
Interestingly, only six clubs have scored more than Leicester at the right end and City’s shots for (11.30) and shots on target for (4.00) figures per 90 are both abnormally high for a team rooted to bottom spot.
Crystal Palace are hovering in the lower reaches of the Premier League and they’ve been conceding considerably more shots (15.00 p/90) than they’ve been racking up at the right end so far (10.90 p/90).
Interestingly, the Eagles have been notching more shots on target than their opponents, however. Perhaps less surprising is the high number of cards they’ve been drawing (2.25 p/90). Palace have a number of prolific dribblers in their ranks and they tend to draw plenty of fouls as result. Indeed, Patrick Vieira’s side have been the division’s most fouled team this season.
Player Shots and Shots on Target
Patson Daka has started three of Leicester’s last four Premier League fixtures and his numbers suggest he has deserved a run in the side (1.89 SOT p/90).
James Maddison (3.15 shots per 90) has been one of just a couple of bright sparks during an otherwise miserable start for the Foxes, while Harvey Barnes (2.84) has been keeping his numbers high from the left flank.
Wilfried Zaha (2.75 shots per/90) remains Crystal Palace’s main source of inspiration in the final third and the Ivorian winger managed to rack up four attempts in the Eagles’ last game against Leeds.
Erebechi Eze mustered three attempts in Palace’s victory over Leeds, dragging his shots p/90 figure slightly north in the process (1.83). Odsonne Edouard notched two shots against the Yorkshiremen and the French striker has been testing keepers with 1.19 accurate strikes per 90 overall.
Player Goals and Assists
James Maddison scored twice in Leicester’s recent win against rivals Nottingham Forest to take his tally for the campaign up to seven goal contributions in eight appearances (5G, 2A).
Harvey Barnes also got in on the act against Forest to double his haul for the season. Jamie Vardy is conspicuous by his absence and the veteran has yet to register a Premier League goal this term.
Wilfried Zaha hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since netting against Brentford in August, though he claimed his first assist of the campaign against Leeds last weekend.
Odsonne Edouard scored Palace’s opener in that game and he has three goal contributions (2G, 1A) overall. Last week’s match-winner, Eberechi Eze, opened his account for 2021/22 with his crucial second-half strike and he has also collected two assists since the summer.
Leicester Cards
James Maddison was one of two Leicester players booked last week against Bournemouth and now the schemer is just a single caution away from having a suspension to serve.
Boubakary Soumaré was the other Foxes player carded against the Cherries and the holding midfielder has been committing a sizable 1.84 fouls p/90 in the Premier League this season.
Daniel Amartey could also be worth tracking today. With injuries mounting, Leicester could be forced to deploy the Ghanaian as a makeshift right-back and Wilfried Zaha is not the man anyone wants to mark while playing in an unfamiliar position.
Wilfried Zaha has been one of the Premier League’s most-fouled players for several seasons on the spin and the winger has been on the receiving end 3.62 times per 90 already this term. Zaha will be rubbing his hands at the prospect of running at Daniel Amartey later if Castagne cannot play.
Michael Olise (fouled 3.61 times p/90) has a treasure trove of technical skills at his disposal and he could draw attention from James Maddison when the latter joins midfield during defensive transitions.
Eberechi Eze (3.94 dribbles p/90) can carry the ball with menace through opponent’s lines and Boubakary Soumaré could be forced into an infringement or two in his attempts to stop the Eagles midfielder.
Match-Ups to watch
Daniel Amartey vs Wilfried Zaha
Boubakary Soumaré vs Michael Olise
James Maddison vs Eberechi Eze
Crystal Palace cards
Joel Ward (1.71 fouls p/90) doesn’t quite have the engine he used to and when he is beaten for pace, he tends to foul rather than work his way back. Cheick Doucoure is a big presence in the Palace midfield and his aggressive streak has earned him two bookings so far, one of which was picked up against Leeds last week.
Marc Guehi has already been carded twice this term, once against Man City and once against Leeds. The 22-year-old doesn’t commit too many fouls (0.50 p/90), though he knows when to be cynical when required.
Left-winger Harvey Barnes (fouled 1.75 per 90) wields a combination of pace and trickery that can give any full-back a wobble and the 24-year-old’s direct style should worry Joel Ward today.
James Maddison’s (fouled 3.54 times p/90) potency in the final third is well-established and Cheick Doucoure should spring into action to stop the Leicester schemer if he finds space in the final third.
Patson Daka (fouled 1.08) times his runs well and uses his pace to good effect and his one-on-one skirmishes with Marc Guehi could lead to intervention from referee Andrew Madley.
Match-Ups to watch
Joel Ward vs Harvey Barnes
Cheick Doucoure vs James Maddison
Marc Guehi vs Patson Daka
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This could be a huge game for Brendan Rodgers, and he’s not been helped at all by injuries. I’m not saying this is a must win, but things really are looking grim for Leicester right now. I expect to see fight in them today, and with that, a game that’s great for bet builders.
Good luck if you’re putting together a bet builder for this one, but as always please remember to keep the stakes low and to keep it fun.
