Betting preview: Leicester City vs Chelsea – Away specialists to edge out Foxes in tight affair
- Seb Sternik
- 18 November 2021
The Premier League marks its return with a bang as European champions Chelsea travel to an underperforming Leicester City.
Thomas Tuchel's men are currently top of the table and a win over the Foxes will give them a six-point cushion over the chasing pack.
Leicester, on the other hand, have endured a stuttering start to the season and entered the international break in the bottom half of the table. However, a win over the Blues could spark a turnaround in fortunes.
When, where and how to watch
When: Saturday, November 20, 12.30 GMT
Where: King Power Stadium
How to watch: BT Sport
Best bets for Leicester vs Chelsea
You could argue that the international break came at just the right time for Chelsea. The team's lengthening injury list was beginning to take its toll on the pitch - an argument backed up by their 1-1 home draw against Burnley last time out.
The two weeks off has allowed the Blues to bring some much-needed bodies back into the fold - mainly Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount who could mark their returns this weekend against Leicester.
Chelsea face five matches in a 15-day period, among them Juventus, Manchester United and West Ham. With that in mind, getting off to a good start against Leicester will be important.
The Foxes, meanwhile, have their own problems. After two successive seasons of fighting for Champions League soccer, reality has slowly but surely began to catch up with Leicester.
Brendan Rodgers and his men have won just four league games this season and are currently sitting 12th in the standings.
Leicester boast an impressive recent record against Chelsea but considering their defensive woes, we're backing the visitors to bag a late win at the King Power.
Three of Chelsea's last four away victories have been level at the bereak. With that in mind, there's value to be found in the half-time/full-time market.
Last three meetings
On this occasion, it was the Foxes who celebrated the win thanks to a second-half wonder goal from Youri Tielemans.
Frank Lampard's last Premier League game in charge of Chelsea ended on a disappointing note.
Goals from Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison helped Leicester to a memorable 2-0 victory at the King Power.
Lampard took charge of an FA Cup game against Luton a few days later before the axe fell.
Chelsea's love of away trips
One of the most impressive stats during his tenure is that fact that Chelsea have only lost three away games in all competitions.
Out of 22 away outings, Tuchel boasts a record of 15 wins, four draws and three losses. Two came at the hands of Juventus and Aston Villa, while the defeat to Leicester in the FA Cup final was more neutral venue than away.
Looking at the outright odds, the bookmakers are expecting Chelsea to continue their fine away form. However, considering three of their last four trips all ended with a 1-0 scoreline, we're not expecting this to be a goal-fest.
Our second selection is to back under 2.5 goals. Interestingly, this same bet landed in six of the last eight head-to-heads.
Last 10 head-to-heads
Leicester able to frustrate
The situation isn't all that bad at Leicester. In fact, a win over Chelsea would see the Foxes leapfrog Manchester United into sixth.
Rodgers may not have racked up the wins this season but Leicester deserve a lot of credit for frustrating their opponents.
Chelsea certainly know all about that having won just one of their last seven Premier League encounters against Leicester.
Games between the two have been closely contested in recent years. What's more, most of them tend to be decided in the second half.
Looking at the last eight head-to-heads, there's been a total of 14 goals scored. Incredibly, 11 of them have arrived after the interval.
Bearing that in mind, our third selection is to back the second half to have the most goals at 11/10.
Goalscorer bets for Leicester vs Chelsea
As things stand, Jamie Vardy is the Premier League's second highest scorer with seven goals to his name - just three short of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
The veteran forward has a propensity to score against the big clubs. In fact, 36 of his 145 career strikes for Leicester have come against Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool alone.
Vardy's goalscoring rate against Chelsea doesn't hit those same heights, having netted four times in 17 games. Nevertheless, he will be a popular selection at 11/5.
With regards to Chelsea, it's Romelu Lukaku who leads the anytime goalscorers market at 11/10.
For instance, Kai Havertz looks like a steal at 2/1. The 22-year-old has scored five goals from his last nine appearances for club and country.
