Leicester vs Southampton betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
Football betting tips: Championship
1pt Harry Winks to be carded at 11/4 (bet365)
0.5pt Ryan Manning, Will Smallbone & Harry Winks all to be carded at 40/1 (Sky Bet)
You can tell Enzo Maresca worked with notorious FPL enemy Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Friday, Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are major doubts for their game against West Brom. Saturday, Vardy scores and Dewsbury-Hall starts in victory.
Whatever happens in Leeds' trip to Middlesbrough on Monday night, and the quick turnaround means this preview will be published before then, Leicester have something to play for.
Leeds lose, a win sees the Foxes promoted. Leeds win, they still remain heavily in the battle for automatic promotion. Southampton's loss at Cardiff on Saturday has seen them drift out to 25/1 for a top two finish.
The dynamic of the Saints' mini-revival means that Ipswich and Leeds fans have a decent enough outcome regardless of what happens, although a draw would be ideal for them.
What are the best bets?
This game could be absolutely brilliant or completely dull - at this stage I'm still not certain on which.
Two sides who will demand as much of the ball as they can possible get going head-to-head makes it an intriguing encounter but one that could quickly fizzle into nothing.
As an excited commentator on the Simpsons once said: "Half-back passes to centre, back to wing, back to centre, centre holds it! Holds it! Holds it!"
Halfback passes to center! Back to wing! Back to center! Center holds it! Holds it! Holds it! pic.twitter.com/754Etnb59r
— Simpsons Daily Glavins (@simpsons_DG) February 17, 2021
It's also a meeting of the division's most aggressive sides out of possession. Both will want the ball, both will work hard to try and win it back as soon as possible.
You can get 11/4 on HARRY WINKS TO BE CARDED which looks decent value based on what we've seen from him so far.
Winks averages the highest number of fouls per game among Leicester's regular starters this season - that has led to a total of nine yellows on his tally.
At this stage, you don't have to worry about yellow card suspensions either. It could easily become a game with fouls aplenty.
Winks has returned two or more fouls in both contests against Leeds, the reverse of this contest and the home encounter against Ipswich.
Alongside that, 11 of his last 17 outings in the league have also seen at least two fouls committed - he was carded in the recent defeat at Millwall. Given the significance of this match, Winks is likely to be heavily involved.
Referee Bobby Madley has dished out at least four yellows in four of his last six too, and he can definitely be considered one of the more stricter referees among those who regularly officiate at this level.
An interesting one is that he was in charge when these two sides last met - six yellows and a red were shown that day.
And a big game calls for a big bet, so combining WINKS with RYAN MANNING & WILL SMALLBONE ALL TO BE CARDED provides some interest.
Both Saints players sit on eight yellows each at this stage of the season, with Manning set for the tricky task of defending against the talented Abdul Fatawu on the Leicester wing - he is their second-most fouled player after Dewsbury-Hall.
Smallbone, meanwhile, will be involved in that midfield battle with Winks.
BuildABet @ 20/1
- Harry Winks to be carded
- Adam Armstrong to score anytime
- Southampton 5+ corners
- 10+ match corners
Click here to back with Sky Bet
ADAM ARMSTRONG has enjoyed a fine season for the Saints, with 20 goals and a further 13 assists.
Russell Martin's side have also taken 5+ CORNERS in each of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Team news
Leicester have a full squad to choose from and Maresca may opt to change his defensive line from the win over West Brom.
Ricardo Pereira was rested as they look to manage his minutes but his absence against the Baggies could have been with this game in mind.
Southampton have been hit with two significant injuries as they approach the final few games.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu is out for the long term, unlikely to feature again in 2024, with an Achilles tendon injury, while Stuart Armstrong was forced off in the latter stages of the defeat to Cardiff and won't play again this season.
They join Ross Stewart on the sidelines, who hasn't been in a squad since November due to a hamstring injury.
Predicted line-ups
Leicester XI: Hermansen; Pereira, Vestergaard, Faes, Justin; Winks, Ndidi; Fatawu, Dewsbury-Hall, Mavididi, Vardy.
Southampton XI: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Manning; Downes, Smallbone, Aribo; Brooks, Adams, A. Armstrong.
Match facts
- Leicester City have won just two of their last seven home league games against Southampton (D2 L3), with all three of their defeats during that time coming via a 2-1 margin.
- Southampton lost the reverse fixture 4-1 in September and will be looking to avoid suffering a league double defeat against Leicester City for the first time since 2011-12.
- Enzo Maresca has won 15 of his 20 home league games in charge of Leicester City (D1 L4), the most in a Foxes manager’s first 20 home matches since Andy Aitken in 1910 (16 wins).
- In games between the Championship top four this season, Southampton average the fewest points per game amongst that quartet (0.8 – 3 in 4 games), just ahead of Leicester City (1.0 – 5 in 5 games); meanwhile Leeds United and Ipswich Town average 2.4 and 1.3 points respectively in such games in 2023-24.
- Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has scored seven league goals against Southampton in his career, only netting more against Watford (11) amongst current Championship teams; that includes a Premier League hat-trick in October 2019 in a 9-0 away win for the Foxes.
Odds correct at 1645 BST (22/04/24)
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