Leicester City got back to winning ways at the start of the week but now welcome Leeds to the King Power Stadium, with the visitors potentially ready to feel the new manager bounce.
Will Leicester take the three points, or will Leeds grab important points in their bid to stay in the Premier League? Don’t miss our Leicester City vs. Leeds picks and predictions.
Leicester City vs Leeds match odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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Leicester City vs Leeds betting tips
- Prediction: Leicester City (-125)
- Prediction: Under 2.5 (+137)
- Best bet: Leicester City - half time/full time (+225)
Predictions made on 3/3/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Leicester City vs Leeds game info
• Location: King Power Stadium, Leicester, England
• Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022
• Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
• TV: USA Network, DAZN
Leicester City vs Leeds betting preview
Weather
The game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. local time with the weather in Leicester set to be wet with heavy rain and temperatures in the low 40s. There will have been a lot of rain in the build-up to this game, so expect that to be reflected on the pitch.
Injuries
Leicester City: Timothy Castagne RB (Out), Jonny Evans CB (Out), James Justin RB (Out), Wesley Fofana CB (Out), Ryan Bertrand LB (Out).
Leeds: Liam Cooper CB (Out), Kalvin Phillips CM (Out), Patrick Bamford ST (Out).
Leicester City vs Leeds predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Side analysis
What a difference one week makes. Last week, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds were preparing for a match against Tottenham, and now there’s a new man at the helm tasked with a tricky game on the road at Leicester.
After a humbling 4-0 defeat, Leeds made the decision to part with the Argentine. It’s a decision that I didn’t expect and I’m still unsure if it was the correct one, something the Leeds support appears to echo. In a rapid turnaround, the American Jesse Marsch was appointed Bielsa’s successor and on Saturday, he’ll be taking his first game as the manager of Leeds United.
Make no mistake, Jesse Marsch has a herculean task on his hands at Leeds. There aren’t many examples in the English game across recent years where a manager has seemed to truly understand a fanbase. Bielsa, despite being born in Rosario, Argentina, almost became one of their own, through his unique personality, honesty, and attacking style. It won’t be easy for Marsch to build an affinity like that and it’s easy to imagine displeasure rising fast if the team doesn’t play well.
Secondly, and arguably the most pressing issue, is the squad. Besides the brilliant Raphinha and long-term absentees Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford, the majority of players aren’t Premier League quality. Bielsa’s team were more than the sum of their parts and I worry that their weaknesses will become even more apparent under a different manager. If you asked how many of the available Leeds players would get into the starting lineup of Saturday’s opponents Leicester, it would be hard to name anybody but Raphinha.
A midweek win over Burnley leaves Leicester 12th in the Premier League, only four spots ahead of Leeds, but the reality is that they’ve played two fewer games and have a far superior squad. This feels like a false position for Leicester and I expect them to start climbing the table in the next few weeks. They’ve had long-term injury problems to the likes of Jonny Evans, Wesley Fofana, and James Justin, which have made things difficult but these players are starting to find themselves getting back to health and will hopefully start to return soon.
Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy made a return in that 2-0 win over Burnley and managed to find himself on the scoresheet as well as providing an assist. Despite his advancing years, he is still the number one striker at the club and superior to Patson Daka. The chemistry between Vardy and James Maddison is special and the striker’s movement is the perfect foil to Maddison’s creativity.
We expect to see Leicester line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with the midfield driven by the brilliant Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans, two of the best midfielders outside of the Top 6. That battle in the middle of the park will be key and I’d expect Ndidi and Tielemans to be able to dominate the likes of Adam Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton.
We don’t know exactly what formation Marsch will play, having used multiple systems during his short time at RB Leipzig, but however he lines up the team it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to take points off Leicester despite the new manager bounce.
It’s going to be a tough end to the season for Leeds fans and I worry that their time in the Premier League might be coming to an end. If you’re going to be betting on this Marsch debut then I’d recommend betting on the Foxes.
Prediction: Leicester City (-125)
Over/Under analysis
Picking a side in the Over/Under is exceptionally hard for this game, given that we don’t know exactly what we’re going to be getting from Marsch’s Leeds. We’ll have a better knowledge after his next few games in charge but for now, we’re operating slightly in the dark.
There have been Over 2.5 goals in 58.3% of Leicester’s Premier League games at the King Power Stadium this season, which is worth considering, but I’ll be taking the Under here, especially at +137.
Before accepting this job, Marsch would have studied Leeds games and he’ll be well aware that Bielsa’s issue was the defense, or lack of it, something he’ll immediately look to put right. We can’t be certain exactly how he’ll line up his team but we can be fairly sure that his main priority will be to stop the glut of goals being conceded. So, I’d be confident on this upsetting the oddsmakers and being low scoring.
Prediction: Under 2.5 (+137)
Best bet
It’s very hard to recommend a best bet when so much is unclear about how Leeds will look under Marsch. The American has come across very well when speaking to the press but there are still question marks around him and his ability. His record as a manager in Major League Soccer is very good and he did a good job as Marco Rose’s successor at Red Bull Salzburg, but his short spell as RB Leipzig is a concern.
When he was appointed as the coach of RB Leipzig for this season, replacing Julian Nagelsmann, it was hoped he’d be the first great American coach but things went badly wrong. He won just eight of 21 games at the club, a win percentage of 38.1%, which is far below what you’d expect for a team that have become one of Germany’s big three clubs. More concerning is the fact that the remaining 13 games comprised of nine defeats, which saw the team outperformed and outmaneuvered. If you’re at a smaller club in the Premier League you have to find a way to turn as many defeats as possible into draws.
I’d like to be wrong but after his spell in Germany, I’m not confident on Jesse Marsch being a success in the Premier League. He lost his first game in charge of Leipzig and I think we’ll lose this one to Leicester. At odds of +225, there’s more value to be had on Leicester winning at half time and full time than the -125 purely on Leicester to win.
Pick: Leicester City - half time/full time (+225)
