Premier League Preview and Pick: Tottenham vs. Leicester City

Breakdown and Best Bet for Tottenham-Leicester City

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Two teams that are in need of a win and a little bit of help on the final day of the Premier League season will cross paths Sunday when Tottenham visits Leicester City. After both teams suffered a disappointing loss mid-week, Leicester City is favored at home with a moneyline of +102, while Tottenham is listed at +243. There is also a moneyline of +311 for a draw.

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Leicester City Preview

Since December, Leicester City has owned a place in the top-4 of the Premier League table. However, after a loss to Chelsea on Tuesday and a Liverpool win on Wednesday, the Foxes are now tied with the Reds with 66 points but trail Liverpool on goal differential. That means Leicester City will need a better result than Liverpool on the final day of the season, meaning the Foxes will surely have to win while hoping Crystal Palace can force a draw with Liverpool. Otherwise, Brendan Rodgers and the Foxes will miss out on Champions League after an outstanding season.

Tuesday’s loss to Chelsea wasn’t shocking for Leicester City, although it did come on the heels of two impressive wins in a row. First, the Foxes beat Manchester United 2-1 and then beat Chelsea 1-0 to take home the FA Cup. Since the second week of April, Leicester City has now scored 15 goals in nine matches across all competitions. The big caveat is that leading scorer Jamie Vardy hasn’t scored any of them, although he does also lead the team with nine assists. Meanwhile, Kelechi Iheanacho has taken over as Leicester’s most consistent talisman during that time. He scored the team’s only goal on Tuesday to give him 12 on the season.

Alas, the Leicester City backline remains a concern heading into the final day of the season. Despite the best efforts of goalie Kasper Schmeichel and clean sheets in the FA Cup semifinal and final, the Foxes have conceded 14 goals in their last eight Premier League matches since the start of April. They were also fortunate to only allow two goals to Chelsea on Tuesday after the Blues unleashed 17 shots and had multiple goals taken back via VAR.

Tottenham Preview

A disappointing season for Tottenham will finally come to an end on Sunday. Two losses in their last three matches mean that Spurs need to beat Leicester City and hope that West Ham United loses to Southampton to qualify for Europa League. A loss to the Foxes would likely take Tottenham out of European competition altogether next season. The future of Harry Kane and a few other players also remains uncertain, putting a dark cloud around the club for the season finale.

That being said, Kane remains the joint-lead scorer in the Premier League and the league leader in assists heading into the final day of the season. He will surely want to add to both totals in the season finale and may feel less pressure in a road match. Likewise, Son Heung-Min ranks fourth in goals and third in assists this season. Spurs also have 10 goals in five Premier League matches under interim manager Ryan Mason, so Tottenham is more than capable of scoring multiple goals.

Of course, defensive concerns have plagued Tottenham all season, especially when trying to protect a lead. To be fair, Spurs have kept two clean sheets in their last four matches and were victimized by an own goal during Wednesday’s loss to Aston Villa. But they also saw Leeds United put three goals past them earlier this month, so they can be vulnerable at times.

The Pick

Both of these teams have been erratic coming down the stretch but both need to win on Sunday. Tottenham and Leicester City both possess world-class goal scorers and defensive concerns. That could lead to a wild game that’s unpredictable and filled with plenty of goals. Wednesday’s poor showing notwithstanding, Spurs have more offensive talent with Kane, Son, and Gareth Bale, especially with Vardy scoring just one goal in the club’s last 18 games. That’s enough to give Tottenham a slight edge in a match in which both sides will be desperate to push forward.

Pick: 3-2 Tottenham

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