Southampton v Leicester – St. Mary’s Stadium at 12:00 live on Sky Sports 1
There are three Premier League matches this ‘Super’ Sunday and for my Asian Handicap preview I will be focusing on the match between Southampton and Leicester. Both sides are desperate for a league win, but on current form, I’m sure the managers would settle for a draw.
Southampton
The Saints currently sit 13th in the table, 3 points above Leicester. Whilst their home form is a lot better than on the road, they remain very unpredictable and inconsistent.
Claude Puel’s side come into this match having lost their last 4 matches in the EPL. A busy Christmas schedule certainly didn’t help matters. Southampton had less rest between matches than any other side in the league.
Their main problem is in attack, especially since the absence of Charlie Austin due to injury. They are the second lowest scoring team in the Premier League with just 19 goals in 21 games. And since the loss of Austin, they have scored just 6 goals in their last 7 outings.
Southampton are also missing the creativity of Sofiane Boufal and having managed just 2 goals in their last 4 league matches, it’s hard to see where the goals are going to come from.
Leicester
This time last year, the Foxes were starting to be considered as serious title contenders. They went on to win the league by ten points. Now, they sit in 15th place having not registered an away win this season.
Leicester were never going to match the achievements of last season, but their fall from grace has been worse than many predicted. They have managed just 3 points from their road matches this term and won just twice in their last 12 outings.
Things just aren’t working for Claudio Ranieri. His defence is leaky, his attack not as potent as last season and the creativity from midfield is missing. And things don’t look like they will improve any time soon with last season’s player of the year, Riyad Mahrez and new signing Islam Silmani both away on international duty.
Asian Handicap & Total Goals
Everything points to goals being in short supply here. Southampton are struggling in front of goal but boast the eighth best defence in the league. Also, only Boro’s matches have produced fewer goals this season.
Similarly, Leicester are finding it hard to score lately, netting just 3 times in their last 6 matches. And with a couple of their most threatening attacking players away on international duty, they could again struggle here.
With regards to the Asian Handicap betting market, not a lot stands out here to me. With home form, the Saints are justified favourites. However, at 1.83 to win this one, they can’t be backed with any confidence. The 2.12 on Leicester with a +0.5 advantage is much more appealing.
Asian Handicap Recommendation: Under 2.5 goals at 1.83
Prices correct at time of writing.
По @ SC457.
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