Premier League: Can Leicester City Get Out of the Foxhole?

Leicester City vs Brentford

Leicester City will be relegated from the Premier League to the Championship unless they do something about it fast. The Foxes dropped to 19th in the English top-flight table with 17 points, level with 18th-seeded Ipswich Town following their two-game losing streak.

This is not how Ruud van Nistelrooy envisioned his first full-time Premier League managerial stint would go, especially after he was undefeated as Manchester United’s caretaker boss not long ago. His team must regroup quickly when they host Brentford this Friday night.

Brentford are doing better than their 16^th-place finish last season, but they still have a long way to go to contend for a coveted spot in European football next season. Thomas Frank’s side is 11^th in the table with 34 points. They have alternated wins and losses in their last four league matches.

The pregame SBOTOP betting odds are partisan towards the visitors. Let’s see if the hosts can put up a fight at the King Power Stadium.

 

Talking Points

Leicester City suffer huge injury blow

Leicester City will be without one of their key defenders this weekend, as James Justin was subbed off in the first half of their 2-0 loss against Arsenal last weekend. The 26-year-old right-back was wearing a protective boot, which doesn’t bode well for his availability against Brentford. Ruud van Nistelrooy only has one healthy right-back available.

Woyo Coulibaly replaced Justin before the end of the first half, and the 25-year-old Frenchman did well. He shut down Raheem Sterling on the right wing and notched a match-leading six tackles and interceptions. The Foxes almost shared the spoils with the Gunners until Mikel Merino’s late brace.

Losing Justin is a huge blow since he is finding his footing at the starting right-back position, notching two league goals and one assist. The Englishman joins Harry Souttar (ankle), Abdul Fatawu (knee), and Ricardo Pereira (hamstring) on the sidelines.

Ruud van Nistelrooy could mix it up in the final third against Brentford. He might replace Bobby Decordova-Reid and Jordan Ayew in favour of Stephy Mavididi and Facundo Buonanotte to add more pace to support Jamie Vardy.

 

Schade steps up for Brentford

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have taken the spotlight for forming one of the Premier League’s most dynamic attacking duos, notching 25 league goals and six assists combined. However, Thomas Frank found another weapon in Kevin Schade.

The German international scored the matchwinner against West Ham United, taking his tally to seven league goals and two assists this season. Schade will likely join Mbeumo and Wissa in wreaking havoc in the final third.

Schade endured a rough start when he first joined the Bees in 2023, but he is finally settling in West London. Brentford supporters will watch his development closely, especially since Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa will enter the final year of their contracts this summer, and there will be interest from rival clubs in the duo. Based on his current trajectory, Schade appears on course to step up if the club sells either Mbeumo or Wissa.

 

History

Leicester City and Brentford have already faced off earlier this season. The Bees won 4-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium, as Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade (hat-trick) overturned a one-goal deficit created by Facundo Buonanotte. This victory ended Brentford’s eight-game winless run against Leicester City in the league (D3, L5). If they win on Friday, the Bees will achieve their first league double over the Foxes since 1952-53.

The Foxes are unbeaten in their last four league games against the Bees at the King Power Stadium (W2, D2) after failing to win their first eight meetings between 1937 and 1953 (D4, L4). However, Leicester City have lost five straight Premier League home games.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2025 odds expect the Bees to complete a league double over the Foxes this weekend. Brentford are at 2.07 odds to win, whereas a Leicester City win is priced at 3.03, and a draw is at 3.46 in the 1X2 market. The huge gap between the two teams says a lot, so we’re going for Brentford.

Football fans at the King Power Stadium will likely see many Premier League 2025 highlights from this contest, but not from the home team, given the visitors’ firepower. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also go for options like Over 2.75 at 1.72, Over 3.00 at 1.92, Over 3.25 at 2.19, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.65. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 4-1 in favour of Brentford – the result of the reverse fixture – has a staggering 36.00 offer.

   

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