Football betting tips: Premier League
2pts West Ham -1.0 Asian handicap at 27/25 (bet365)
1pt Jarrod Bowen to score anytime at 7/4 (bet365)
0.5pts Oliver Scarles to be carded at 15/2 (Sky Bet)
BuildABet @ 9/1
- West Ham to win
- Jarrod Bowen to score anytime
- Wilfred Ndidi to be carded
Leicester head to West Ham on Thursday struggling to make a fist of it in the Premier League as the gulf between the divisions appears to be widening.
The Foxes are the only side in the league without an away clean sheet, shipping the most goals (32) and collecting the second fewest points (eight from a possible 36) on their travels.
Their victory at Tottenham was a novelty, and Leicester's only other win came against the 10-men of basement boys Southampton, even then the Foxes nicked it in the 90+8th minute.
Thursday’s visitors have lost their last three league games by an aggregate scoreline of 10-0 and head to London having lost 10 of their last 11 domestic fixtures so it is tricky to make a case for them at 4/1.
Especially as opponents West Ham have been steadily improving under Graham Potter.
Potter has overseen six league games (W2 D1 L3) with victory at the Emirates last the weekend ending a tough run of results.
The Hammers lost by one goal against Brentford and at Chelsea after picking up a point at Villa Park and look prime for three points here.
What are the best bet?
At a shade of odds-against, backing the WEST HAM -1.0 on the ASIAN HANDICAP appeals here, with the added security of money back if the Hammers win by one goal.
Everton (4-0), Crystal Palace (2-0) and Wolves (3-0) have all dismissed Leicester with ease since Ruud van Nistelrooy took charge at the King Power.
Leicester did beat West Ham 3-1 in the reverse but it is worth noting it was Van Nistelrooy’s first home game in charge of the club. Julen Lopetegui was the Hammers manager at the time and he must have been perplexed by the result as his side won the xG battle 3.10-1.67.
The Hammers are yet to play any of the bottom three under Potter but beat Ipswich 4-1 on home soil back in October.
JARROD BOWEN’s price TO SCORE ANYTIME stands out.
Bowen has netted twice in three games since returning from his injury layoff and with Sky Bet quoting West Ham at 8/13 to score at least two goals, you would fancy their talisman to be amongst the goals.
The price of 7/4 is a smidge too big, Bowen has a goals per 90 average of 0.40 across the last two seasons and has netted in half of his eight appearances against the top flight new-boys in that timeframe.
The hosts frontman will be brimming with confidence after scoring his 50th Premier League goal at the Emirates.
I also couldn’t resist putting OLIVER SCARLES TO BE CARDED in the staking plan.
The 19-year-old shone on his Hammers debut at Arsenal and his defensive output was astonishing.
Scarles completed six tackles, seven interceptions, made one foul and picked up a booking.
He has picked up two cards in six starts in the youth team this term and was carded in a Europa League Conference appearance back in the 2022/23 season.
Granted, it is a very small sample size and there is a risk Scarles doesn’t even play but at quotes of 15/2 with Sky Bet, the price is simply too big to ignore.
Referee Stuart Atwell has dished out 20 cards across his last three appearances as well.
Team news
Vladimir Coufal and Lucas Paqueta are ruled out for the hosts joining Crysencio Summerville and Michail Antonio in the treatment room.
Brighton-loanee Evan Ferguson could make his first start for West Ham flanked by Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in a front three.
Scarles is also in contention at left back after impressing in a back five in the win over Arsenal although Emerson should get rotated back into a back four.
As for the visitors, Leicester will be without long term absentee Abdul Fatawu and this fixture also comes too soon for Ricardo Pereira.
James Justin is also a doubt but with the full back back in full training, van Nistelrooy is hopeful Justin will return to the fold soon.
Predicted line-ups
West Ham: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez; Bowen, Ferguson, Kudus
Leicester: Hermansen, Coulibaly, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Soumare; Buonanotte, El Khannous, Mavididi; Vardy
Match facts
- Having won their first five Premier League home games against Leicester between 1994 and 1999, West Ham have now won just four of their last 11 against the Foxes on home soil in the division (D2 L5). Leicester have won each of their last three Premier League games against West Ham, more than they had in their previous 10 beforehand (W2 D4 L4).
- West Ham have lost just one of their last 14 Premier League games against promoted sides (W11 D2), though it was against Leicester in the reverse fixture in December. At home they’ve won eight of their last nine against promoted teams in the league (D1) since a 2-1 loss to Brentford in October 2021.
- Leicester won 2-1 against Tottenham in their last Premier League away game against a London side – on all five occasions they’ve won consecutive visits to the capital in the competition it’s included a win against either Spurs or West Ham (or both).
- West Ham have lost their last two Premier League home games under Graham Potter, having already lost three in a row at the London Stadium under Julen Lopetegui earlier this term. They’ve never had two separate runs of 3+ consecutive home defeats in the same league season before.
- Leicester have lost 10 of their last 11 Premier League games (W1), including each of their last three by an aggregate score of 10-0. The Foxes haven’t lost more successive league matches while also failing to score in each since a run of five from January to February 2017, in what would prove to be title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri’s final five league matches in charge of the club.
- West Ham have lost 2-0 against Crystal Palace and 1-0 against Brentford in their last two Premier League home games – they’ve not lost three in a row without scoring in the competition since March 2001.
- Leicester are the only side without an away clean sheet in the Premier League so far this season, conceding 32 goals across their 12 games on the road this term.
- Following their 1-0 win against Arsenal last time out, West Ham are looking to win consecutive Premier League games for the first time since March 2024, while they last did so without conceding in December 2023 (3).
- West Ham’s Graham Potter has managed 11 Premier League home games against newly promoted opposition and lost just one (W5 D5), a 0-1 defeat to Sheffield United with Brighton in December 2019. Indeed, his sides have kept a clean sheet in each of his last seven home games against promoted sides in the competition.
Odds correct at 1635 GMT (25/02/25)
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