Manchester United will be without both starting centre-backs when they go to Leicester and Tom Carnduff thinks the hosts can capitalise.
Football betting tips: Premier League
1pt e.w. Jannik Vestergaard to score first at 33/1 (Bet365 1-99 1/3)
1pt Çağlar Söyüncü to score anytime at 28/1 (General)
Manchester United remain in the battle at the top of the table but recent results have been concerning. They were held by Everton last time out, needed Cristiano Ronaldo to bail them out with a late winner in a poor performance against Villarreal, with back-to-back defeats to Aston Villa and West Ham before it.
Leicester have hardly been hitting their previous heights either. They are 13th in the standings but should be 15th based on Infogol's model. It's a contest between two teams who need a win.
Brendan Rodgers has been the subject of speculation linking him with the Newcastle job following their takeover but he remains committed to the Foxes at this current time. He'll be hoping off-field talk doesn't affect their performances on it.
Kick-off time: 15:00 BST, Saturday
Leicester 12/5 | Draw 13/5 | Man United 21/20
As expected, the visitors take favouritism here but issues at the back will impact their ability to defend. Both Harry Maguire and Raphaël Varane will be missing here and that means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is forced to use his depth players.
Here's the thing. Those two sit in the top-four among Manchester United players for average aerial duels won per game in the Premier League this season. It's been an area targeted before but they are vulnerable without Maguire's presence - it's made even worse by Varane's absence.
Çağlar Söyüncü was a successful 30/1 tip when scoring for Leicester against United last season while Michael Keane delivered a winner at 11/8 when he had a shot in Everton's recent trip to Old Trafford.
Caglar Soyuncu's header landed a 30/1 anytime goalscorer winning tip in the @SportingLife Manchester United v Leicester preview which I'm v happy about. Harry Maguire's ability in the air a big miss, might be one to look at again before the season is over.pic.twitter.com/sU2jlErzx9
— Tom Carnduff (@TomC_22) May 11, 2021
It's not surprise that given United's likely back line there is value to be had in Leicester's centre-backs. The first of which is the huge 28/1 for SÖYÜNCÜ TO SCORE ANYTIME. At attacking set-pieces, he should have an opportunity.
He's hardly prolific but it's clearly an area they targeted when United faced the same issues last season. At a guess, Victor Lindelöf will be tasked with marking Vestergaard so Eric Bailly will be on Söyüncü. That will be an interesting battle in the air.
Leicester knew they could target Söyüncü with attacking set-pieces and that is evident looking at the goal he scored. With both of their first choice centre-backs out, they have every chance of scoring from these situations again.
No Varane or Maguire for Manchester United against Leicester on Saturday then.
— Tom Carnduff (@TomC_22) October 12, 2021
Jannik Vestergaard is a best price of 12/1 to score anytime...pic.twitter.com/JpRg0UhEU5
A much shorter anytime price but worth looking at in the other goalscorer market is VESTERGAARD TO SCORE FIRST at a huge 33/1. That means the each-way value on a goal at any point across the 90 minutes is 11/1.
He posed a significant attacking threat during his time at Southampton, scoring three goals from 2.61 xG in the 2020/21 Premier League season. His 23 shots showed how he more often than not had a chance to strike.
Vestergaard also scored when rising above Lindelöf in the 2019/20 season and there's every chance similar could happen here. They are big prices but given the circumstances, it's the right game to gamble on them.
The result could go either way given the poor form of both and that means there is little appeal in the outright market. Instead, with the visitors missing both starting centre-backs, SÖYÜNCÜ and VESTERGAARD look big to strike in the odds.
Leicester v Manchester United best bets and score prediction
- 1pt e.w. Jannik Vestergaard to score first at 33/1 (bet365 1-99 1/3)
- 1pt Çağlar Söyüncü to score anytime at 28/1 (General)
Score prediction: Leicester 1-1 Manchester United (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
Odds correct at 1500 BST (14/10/21)
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