Premier League: Cottagers Will Likely Add on to the Foxes’ Problems

Leicester City vs Fulham

It’s a busy week in the Premier League, as most clubs will play two matches in five days due to the congested schedule. Leicester City and Fulham are among those teams, as they will face each other this Saturday at the King Power Stadium following their matches against Crystal Palace and West Ham United.

As of this writing, Leicester City are in the relegation zone, sitting in 19^th place with only 14 points after the first 20 matchdays of 2024-25. Even if they defeat Crystal Palace later, the Foxes remain one of the cellar dwellers in the English top-flight.

Meanwhile, Fulham are 10 notches above Leicester City, with 30 points. The Cottagers are coming off a 3-2 loss against West Ham United, ending their nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.

Getting a win here would be huge for these two teams, so expect the Foxes and the Cottagers to go all out this weekend.

 

Talking Points

Key absentees for Leicester City

Leicester City are in the dreaded drop zone because they have one of the worst backlines in the Premier League, already conceding 44 goals while scoring only 23 on the other end. It also doesn’t help manager Ruud van Nistelrooy he’ll continue to miss some of his key players.

First-choice goalkeeper Mads Hermansen is still sidelined by an injury, so Jakub Stolarczyk will deputise between the sticks again. Centre-back Jannik Vestergaard might not play after he limped off against Aston Villa and sat out against QPR last Saturday.

After losing five in a row against Newcastle United (4-0), Wolves (3-0), Liverpool (3-1), Manchester City (2-0), and Aston Villa (2-1), Leicester City secured a 6-2 victory over QPR in the FA Cup third round, giving them a huge confidence boost. Five players were on the scoresheet, as James Justin (brace), Stephy Mavididi, Facundo Buonanotte, Jamie Vardy, and Wout Faes all scored goals. It’s a rare coming-out party for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side, and they’ll need a similar performance this week.

Jamie Vardy remains the Foxes’ main attacking threat since he leads the team in scoring with six league goals and three assists. The 38-year-old is showing zero signs of slowing down.

 

Iwobi picking up form for Fulham

Alex Iwobi was Fulham’s brightest spot in the 3-2 loss against West Ham United after bagging a brace in the second half. This performance marked the first time the 28-year-old midfielder reached double figures in goal contributions in a single season. He also scored for the first time since his brace in the Cottagers’ 3-1 win against the Seagulls last December.

Fulham could’ve won the game if they were sharper with the ball, as Carlos Soler and Lucas Paqueta’s goals are due to Andreas Pereira and Bernd Leno’s costly mistakes. Tomas Soucek also put one in for the Hammers two minutes after Soler’s goal. Head coach Marco Silva lamented their poor performance and vowed that Fulham would be better against Leicester City. The Cottagers will continue to miss the services of Kenny Tete, Sander Berge, and Reiss Nelson, but the odds remain in their favour because they still have their big hitters.

 

History

Leicester City and Fulham have already faced off in the second matchday of the 2024-25 campaign. Fulham won 2-1 at Craven Cottage, as Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi’s goals were enough to nullify Wout Faes’ score. Fulham have won three consecutive games against Leicester City for the first time since 1967.

Fulham scored a Premier League double over Leicester City the last time the latter was still in the English top-flight in 2022-23. The Cottagers won 1-0 over the Foxes in January 2023 at the King Power Stadium, and they also won 5-3 in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage four months later.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2025 odds are in favour of the visitors to take the full three points this Saturday. Fulham are 1.92 favourites to win, while a Leicester City win or draw is pegged at 3.45 in the 1X2 market. This fixture has goals written all over, so SBOTOP football fans will likely get their fair share of Premier League 2025 highlights.

Besides our recommended bet above, bettors can also go for options like Over 3.00 at 2.11 and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.80, with Total Goal 2-3 at 2.36 as the more conservative option. Moreover, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of the Cottagers – the result of their reverse fixture – has a solid offer of 7.80 your bet.

   

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