At this point, you can practically give the Premier League title to Manchester City. Manchester City is 13 points up on city rivals Manchester United for the top spot in England and has won 22 of its 26 matches to date. The Sky Blues have crushed their opponents in methodic fashion and have found the back of the net 15 times more than any other team in the league.
They are heavily favored coming into their matchup with Leicester City in the late game on Saturday. Leicester has performed well despite not having arguably their best player in the lineup as Riyad Mahrez continues to sit out.
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EPL Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Leicester City +99
Manchester City -434
Draw +543
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
At this point, oddsmakers are going to dare you to bet against Man City. Man City’s unbeaten run drove prices on the Sky Blues up into rarified air, and the books are taking no more chances. You are going to have to swallow a lot of chalk if you want to back Man City.
However, there may be some value here as Man City might have one eye on this fixture and one eye on its game in Basel on Tuesday. There’s no doubt that both the players and owners would rather win that one than this one with such a lead on the field in the Premier League.
Key Absences
Mahrez has still not returned to Leicester after a deadline day deal to ship him to Manchester City fell apart at the last minute. He has been angling for a transfer all year long and the team’s failure to move him appears to have been the last straw. It’s been over a week since he last was on club grounds, and there is no timetable for when he will be back. Elsewhere, central defenseman Wes Morgan has already been ruled out for this match.
It’s a good thing that Man City has so much depth, because the injury bug has bit this club hard in recent weeks. There are seven members of the club listed on the official injury report. Many are reserves, but contributors like David Silva and Gabriel Fernando de Jesus are on the list as well.
Recent Form
Give credit to Leicester for continuing to play well without Mahrez on the pitch. This club has relied on its defense of late, putting together some impressive performances in that regard since the start of the new year. Leicester has allowed just three goals in its last five Premier League games and is 3-1-1 as a result.
Manchester City continues to look fantastic. Although its unbeaten streak came to an end against Liverpool, the club has responded with aplomb, winning four in a row in all competitions prior to a draw against Burnley last weekend.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
It’s been pretty impressive to see what Pep Guardiola has done with this team. Guardiola spent last season tinkering with the club and acquiring the pieces he needed to run his system, and the results have spoken for themselves. They are playing possession-oriented, wide-open soccer and have been a joy to watch all season long. With so much talent in the midfield and some absolute aces at forward, Man City can make a scoring opportunity out of nothing.
However, I think that there is a lot of value in Leicester here. Leicester has played well on defense and Manchester City will not be fully focused on this game. Kasper Schmeichel has looked to be in fop form in recent weeks and will help lead Leicester to a draw.
English Premier League Odds: Leicester City 1, Manchester City 1
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