Tottenham at Leicester City Preview and Prediction

With Leicester City fighting to put some distance between themselves and the bottom third of the table and Tottenham Hotspur looking to keep pace in the top four, the Saturday late game at King Power Stadium promises some good Premier League football.

Having gotten a whole two days of rest each beyond having some weary legs, what can we expect in this Matchday 16 contest?

Recent History Between Tottenham and Leicester

Tottenham Hotspur will be facing a familiar foe, when Spurs travel to Leicester City for the 101st meeting between the two clubs. Spurs hold the lead in the all-time series, with 48 wins against 33 losses, with the clubs drawing 19 times. 82 of those prior 100 meetings have been in the Premier League with Spurs holding the edge there with 38 wins to Leicester’s 29.

Since 2014-15 when Mauricio Pochettino took over the reigns at Tottenham, Spurs are 4-2-2 against the Foxes. Of course, one of those losses was the 0-1 defeat in 2015-16 that really hurt the Spurs’ title chances and helped springboard Leicester to their dream season for the Premier League title. Last season the teams split, with both sides winning at home. Leicester winning 2-1 in week 14 and then Tottenham winning in a wild 5-4 victory on the last day of the season.

Tottenham and Leicester City on Form

Leicester City started the season losing 3 out of their first 5 matches but have only lost twice in the 10 matches since. As a point of comparison, the Foxes have only lost 1 more match than the Spurs, who currently have 4 losses. However, Leicester sit 9th in the table with 22 points, while Tottenham are 3rd on 33 points. The big difference, beyond one loss, are Leicester’s four draws. While Tottenham are third in the league in wins with 11, Leicester are part of a 4-way tie for the seventh most wins at six.

While Spurs have found ways to win games this season, Leicester has found ways to draw. While only giving up a respectable 18 goals this season, surprisingly the Foxes have struggled to score with only 21 goals.

Although Leicester has only been shut out once this season, 9 of 15 games played have seen the Foxes score one or fewer goals. Leicester has managed to score two goals five times and three goals only once.

Despite the average goal return and loss of Riyad Mahrez, Leicester still have some sting in their attack, particularly down the middle of the field. Led unsurprisingly by striker Jamie Vardy and his five goals, and maybe surprisingly for some James Maddison who also has five goals on the season from midfield and leads the team in shot attempts.

Expect Wilfred Ndidi to be in the middle behind Maddison and Vardy, as the Nigerian leads the team in passes and tackles. The backline is led by England World Cup favorite Harry Maguire and of course Kasper Schmeichel in goal.

Clearly the loss of Mahrez, has really impacted the firepower behind the Foxes attack. Additionally the team has been on an emotional rollercoaster following the tragic loss of team owner Khun Vichai. While Joe Lewis is very much in the background for Spurs, Khun Vichai was an involved owner whose loss cannot be understated. Incidentally Leicester is unbeaten with 2 wins and 3 draws since his unfortunate accidental death.

Tottenham on the other hand are the third hottest club in the Premier League, which is appropriately reflected in their standing in the League. Winners of 4 of their last 5 in League, following the mid-October loss to City, where notorious Spur killer Mahrez scored the one goal.

With the derby loss to Arsenal washed away with the midweek victory over Southampton, Spurs look to replicate form of teams past and continue to flourish during the busy holiday schedule. In contrast to Leicester City’s attack, Spurs have scored two or more goals in 10 of their 15 matches this season, and have scored 3 goals in a game 4 times; including the 3-1 win over the Saints at Wembley.

Tottenham is being led by Harry Kane and his nine goals in League this season. Lucas Moura has made a solid contribution with his five goals and while not having the goal tally one might expect at this point in the season with two Heung-Min Son has been playing some great football. It is difficult to imagine those three not being on the field Saturday.

With those three playing so well and needing to be on the pitch, it is likely that either Dele Alli or Christian Eriksen begin the game on the bench. Given the midweek approach, I expect Dele to start and Eriksen to be in reserve if needed as Spurs try to manage bodies knowing Barcelona and a MUST-WIN match to stay alive in the Champions League is only days away. Rotation is the name of the game for Spurs right now.

Extra Thoughts

For the second game in a row, there is a little Southampton connection. Claude Puel, the current manager of Leicester City managed Southampton for one season three years after Mauricio Pochettino left the south coast club for Spurs.

Of the 100 previous meetings between these two clubs, two have been Finals- both Tottenham victories. Tottenham beat Leicester City 2-0 in the FA Cup Final during the 1960-61 double year. Spurs again came out on top in the 1998-99 League Cup final 1-0.

Tottenham are the only team in the Premier League without a draw this season. In fact, no other team has fewer than two. This puts Spurs on pace to better the league record for fewest draws in a season three, which was achieved by Chelsea in 1997-98 and again in 2016-17. Incidentally, Chelsea won the League in 2016-17.

Predictions

Time for some predictions on the action on Saturday.

Spencer Sharpe

Spurs 2-0

Tottenham will come out strong and look to put some distance between Arsenal and Chelsea. Harry Kane loves a goal against the Foxes and he’ll get a brace.

Aaron Coe

Spurs 3-1

Tottenham may be looking ahead to the midweek trip to Spain and the fight for their Champions League lives. However, the form of Son and the finishing of Kane will prove too much for Leicester City. While the game will be tight, Spurs find a way to put three past Schmeichel and maintain their place in the table.

Zaph Hutson

Spurs 3-1

Leicester City’s goal problems coupled with a strengthening Spurs defense mean the Foxes will get on the board once at most. Son, Kane, and Moura all scored last match and are finding their attacking rhythm. Expect multiple strikes from them.