English Premier
2019-02-26 - Leicester City vs Brighton
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Tuesday 26th February 2019 - Kick Off 7:45pm
Leicester City
The inevitable split between Leicester City and Claude Puel finally came true on Sunday morning after The Foxes were embarrassed in a 1-4 home defeat to Crystal Palace the previous evening. Ultimately it has felt like a decision that was going to be made in the summer anyway, but the timing means Leicester City are set to appoint an interim manager, much like Manchester United, before reassessing in the summer.
The defeat on Saturday means Leicester City are still 12th in the Premier League table but they have fallen to 8 points behind 7th place which was the target after the upset defeat to Newport County in the FA Cup Third Round. A 4-2-7 record at the King Power Stadium did not help Claude Puel either with the fans beginning to turn on the management, especially as Leicester City have scored just 14 goals here in the League.
Leicester City beat Everton on New Year's Day, but they have not won any of 7 games in all competitions since then and the bigger worry has to have been the 6 defeats suffered in that run. They have lost 4 in a row at home in the Premier League since coming from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 on Boxing Day.
Ben Chilwell missed out on Saturday and he is an early doubt for this fixture, although a late fitness test will determine availability.
Brighton
The manager at the King Power Stadium didn't really have the fan support to stay in his job during a poor run, but that won't be a concern for Chris Hughton at Brighton despite the club slipping down the Premier League table. Most fans will still very much believe in the manager who has taken them up from the Championship and kept them in the Premier League as well as reaching a couple of FA Cup Quarter Finals.
That belief may begin to waver if Brighton keep slipping down the League table though as they have fallen to 16th place in the Premier League on a weekend where they were not able to play the scheduled match at Chelsea. The Seagulls are just 3 points clear of Southampton in 18th place albeit with a game in hand to come. They bring in a 2-2-9 away record in the League where Brighton have scored 12 goals but conceded 24.
Brighton have beaten Bournemouth and Derby County in normal time and West Brom in Extra Time during their FA Cup run which began in early January, but the League form has not been as impressive. In fact Brighton have not won any of 6 in the Premier League and have been beaten in 4 of their last 5. The away form has seen Brighton lose 4 of their last 5 on their travels in the Premier League.
Florin Andone is suspended, but having a weekend off may well have played into Brighton's hands. The likes of Lewis Dunk, Solly March, Davy Propper, Jurgen Locadia, Jose Izquierdo and Glenn Murray could all have had the chance to shake off knocks and make themselves available for selection.
Head to Head
Brighton and Leicester City drew 1-1 at the Amex Stadium earlier this season.
Leicester City have won 3 of their last 4 home games against Brighton including a 2-0 victory over them last season.
Prediction
I think the common assumption was that Claude Puel would likely be removed as Leicester City manager at the end of the season, but the 1-4 home loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday means the move was made much earlier than anticipated. On Sunday morning Puel was told he was sacked and it has come at a time when Leicester City may have to appoint an interim manager before going for one of the targets rumoured in the summer.
Turmoil at the King Power Stadium could be the right tonic for Brighton to take advantage of as they make their way to the East Midlands looking for a vital three points to take them away from the relegation drop zone. Results this past weekend have left Brighton 3 points clear of Southampton, but they have slipped to 16th place in the Premier League table and with some huge games coming up.
Putting a win on the board will give Brighton the confidence to take into those fixtures, but they may have hoped Leicester City had kept Claude Puel in charge for one more game.
The players at Leicester City were clearly not happy playing in the Puel system and my feeling is that we are going to seeing a response much like what Manchester United had when a disliked manager was removed. I don't anticipate Leicester City winning as many games as Manchester United have put together, but this is a squad that looks to be underachieving and I would not be surprised if they performed much better than they have been.
In saying that I do think Leicester City could have earned a lot more positive results over the last month with a bit more luck and better composure in the final third. The majority of those games were away from home though and I think this is the kind of fixture where the players can show the fans that they had been held back by the manager rather than underperforming themselves.
It is a difficult game to read with the uncertainty that comes from sacking a manager, but I am giving Leicester City the edge. After sacking Claudio Ranieri the players responded with a 3-1 win over Liverpool at home, while they were beaten in their first game after sacking Craig Shakespeare but then went unbeaten in 5 and won 4 of those games.
I am expecting a reaction from the home players here too and I think they may edge out a Brighton team who have not travelled well all season and who have lost 4 of their last 5 away Premier League games. Brighton have conceded at least two goals in 4 straight on their travels in the League and I will back Leicester City to earn the three points in this one.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Leicester City 2-1 Brighton
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Leicester City to Win @ 1.95 BetVictor
