Match Preview
Defending champions Leicester City will travel to face Stoke on Saturday in order to play their 17th match of the Barclays Premier League.
Leicester City’s hopes of retaining their Premier League title suffered yet another blow when they lost 1-0 to Bournemouth on Tuesday. The defending champions have faltered shockingly this season, as they find themselves in the 14th place on the league table with mere 16 points. Claudio Ranieri’s men have enjoyed just one victory in their last five Premier League matches.
Held to a 0-0 draw at their home in the last match versus Southampton, Stoke City now resides in the 12th place of the league table with 20 points. A win at home might take the Potters to upper half of the table, if other match results go into their favor.
On previous six meetings between them, both teams have won equal two matches against each other, while the remaining two matches had ended as a draw.
Team News: Stoke City
Injury concerns for Mark Hughes’s side are quite big as many players are sidelined ahead of the Saturday’s clash. Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Afellay are both ruled out of the match due to their broken leg and knee injury, respectively.
Stoke City will also be without the likes of Phil Bardsley, Geoff Cameron, and Jack Butland because of their injuries.
Striker Marko Arnautovic is suspended following his straight red card against Southampton which means he is unavailable for Hughes’ side in the coming three matches.
Stoke City: Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1)
Grant – Peters, Johnson, Shawcross, Martins Indi – Whelan, Adam – Shaqiri, Allen, Diouf – Walters
Team News: Leicester City
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel hasn’t fully recovered from his broken hand, and he remains doubtful for Saturday’s clash against Stoke.
Daniel Drinkwater, who missed the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on last Tuesday due to a minor knee injury, probably won’t feature in this match as well.
Danny Simpson could return to the first-team action after serving a one-match suspension.
The Foxes haven’t shown any glimpses of their last year’s glorious form this season. So, the likes of Rihad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy need to deliver match-winning performances if the defending champions want to get positive outcomes.
Leicester City: Predicted Line-up (4-4-2)
Zieler – Huth, Morgan, Fuchs, Simpson – King, Mahrez, Albrighton, Amartey – Vardy, Slimani
Stoke City vs. Leicester City: Head-to-Head
Total games: 57 Stoke City wins: 22 Leicester City wins: 17 Draws: 18
Stoke City vs. Leicester City: TV Schedule and Channel
In the U.S., the match will be live on NBC Sports Live. For other regions, the TV schedule can be found in the link here .
Stoke City vs. Leicester: Prediction
Both teams are struggling with their forms at the moment. However, Stoke City looks in better shape than the defending Champions, considering their recent performances. Leicester City has lost last seven of their eight away matches this season, and they are short of confidence at the moment.
With home advantage likely to favor them, Stoke City might clinch a victory in this contest.
Final Predicted Score: Stoke 2-1 Leicester City
Stoke vs. Leicester City: Betting Tips and Odds
- Stoke City win: 7/5
- A draw: 23/10
- Leicester City win: 2/1
- Under 2.5 goals: 5/6
- Over 2.5 goals: 5/6
- Both teams score: 4/6
- Both teams fail to score: 11/10
The Stoke vs. Leicester odds were provided by Paddypower .
Key Stats to consider
- Stoke has won two of their last five matches in Premier League.
- Stoke has won two of their last six matches against Leicester in all competitions.
- Leicester has lost seven of their last eight away matches in Premier League.
- Leicester has won four of their 16 matches in Premier League so far.
- Leicester has scored five goals in their last two matches against Stoke.
The Stoke vs. Leicester stats were provided by Whoscored .
Stoke City vs. Leicester City: Live Stream
The match can be streamed live online by clicking at this link . The live streaming link will be updated just before kick-off.
[Featured Image by Gareth Copley/Getty Images]