It's becoming painfully clear that Leicester City isn't going to have the horses to run with the big boys this season. No, the Foxes aren't going to end up dropping all the way from champs to relegation, but it's probably going to be a mid-table season for them. Last year, a match like this one at Chelsea would have felt winnable. This year, as has been the case in years past, this more or less just feels like a draw-at-best proposition.
At 7:30 a.m. ET, tune into NBC Sports Network for live television coverage of this Barclays Premier League match on Saturday, October 15, 2016, at Stamford Bridge.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea -170
Leicester City +480
Draw +320Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
BookMaker.eu is reporting that 38 percent of the betting action in this game has actually been on Leicester City on the moneyline at a price of +480. It's a hefty price for sure, but seeing a percentage like that definitely is something that gives us reason to raise an eyebrow.
The Blues are one-goal favorites on the Asian Handicap, translating into -170 on the moneyline.
The total is quite high at 3, but the vig on -132 on the under is garnering a lot of action as well.
Key Injuries
Injuries aren't really the concern here for Antonio Conte. John Obi Miel, John Terry and Kurt Zouma are all out of the fold, but these men haven't been crucial to this lineup in quite some time.
Leicester City has Jamie Vardy back, and that's the biggest deal it could ask for. The Foxes won't have Matthew James, and Shinji Okazaki is a question mark after he was hurt playing for Japan during the international break, but aside from that, there aren't any major issues.
Recent Form
After Chelsea was whipped by Arsenal to wrap up September, Conte immediately started tinkering with his lineup and used a 3-4-3 look for the first time at Chelsea in eons. The results against Hull City were good, a 2-0 win on the road against a scrappy team. There's plenty to analyze here, but going backwards and looking at previous form isn't useful considering the fact that this 3-4-3 thing is still new to the point that Conte has admitted that it is a "work in progress."
Leicester has been doing well in the Champions League, but aside from that, there isn't a lot to write home about. The team drew Southampton 0-0 at home on the last day before the international break, and prior to that, the team had been beaten 4-1 by Leicester and 4-2 by this Chelsea side in the Capital One Cup.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
It’s mighty interesting that all of these bets have come in on Leicester City, and we suppose there's actually some justification for it. The Foxes are who they are, and even a mid-table team might be able to sneak up on the Blues, even at Stamford Bridge.
The big thing is that Vardy is back. We also know just how important he is to this Leicester side, and he and Riyad Mahrez are going to get things going eventually. When they do, the Foxes should be able to play better ball than what we've seen of late.
So we're game. The 3-4-3 still scares us, as this is a formation that historically hasn't worked in the Premier League, and the Blues clearly aren't comfortable playing it yet. While this is still a work in progress, we're at least winning to take a stab at the lottery ticket of playing Leicester City on the moneyline to see if there's at least a little bit of that magic left in the tank before this team slips back into relative obscurity.
Barclays Premier League Odds: Leicester City 2, Chelsea 1
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