Leicester City vs. Arsenal

Premier League Leicester City vs. Arsenal Soccer Betting Prediction

Written by on August 19, 2016

Following their disappointing defeats to Hull and Liverpool, respectively, Leicester City and Arsenal will be looking to bounce back with positive results when they go against each this Saturday. As the two teams that finished atop the English Premier League last season, winning this game will be very crucial, especially if either or both of these are to catch ground with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester United who all got off to winning starts last week. Ahead of this weekend clash, here are some tips and picks to help guide your soccer betting.

Leicester City vs. Arsenal English Premier League Soccer Odds Preview

Where: King Power Stadium, Leicester When: Saturday, August 20, 17:30 p.m. BST/ 12:30 p.m. ET TV: BT Sport 1, CNBC, NBC Sports Soccer Lines: Leicester +180, Draw +250, Arsenal +140

Why Bet on Leicester City

Having won the EPL title last season in surprisingly astounding fashion, Leicester City is under pressure to prove itself as a worthy title contender this season rather than a one-hit-wonder. Fortunately for them, the team brings back the majority of its starters from last season, including top goal-scorer Jamie Vardy and star midfielder Riyad Mahrez, who just signed a four-year extension with Leicester City this week. Meanwhile, the defense should remain firm under the guidance of star goalkeeper Schmeichel and Captain Morgan. As a concern, though, the Foxes looked shaky in their 2-1 lost to Hull last week and they will be facing an Arsenal side that was the only English Premier League team to beat them at home last season and completed the double with another win at Emirates. A very focused and tactful performance will thus be required from Leicester City if this victory is to remain at the King Power Stadium.  

Why Bet on Arsenal

Besides the motivation of being the only team to sweep Leicester last season, the Gunners will be coming into this game with an extra chip on their shoulder as Arsene Wenger looks to avoid dropping the second game of the season and falling straight into his critics’ daggers. A big reason the Gunners lost 4-3 to Liverpool was the inexperienced duo of Chambers and Holding playing in defense, along with Wenger’s poor selection in midfield. To do better against Leicester, Wenger must make a better team selection, possibly including the likes of Giroud and Ozil in his lineup. Defensively, Mertesacker and Gabriel are still injured, but the Gunners will be welcoming back star defender Laurent Koscielny to most likely partner with Chambers for a better-looking defense. But even with all that, Arsenal is has a tendency of creating many chances in offense but utilizing very few of them, so bettors must be careful about over-trusting them to win this game.  

Expert Soccer Betting Predictions and Picks

The Foxes have lost just five of their last 48 Premier League and were beaten only once at home last season (the loss to Arsenal), so it will be a tough ask for the Gunners to come out with the win here. Even so, Arsenal is under more pressure to deliver a win here and the Gunners haven’t lost to Leicester City in their last 19 overall meetings (13 wins, 6 draws), and that—we believe—will be the key difference in this game. Arsenal should therefore be your winning pick for this fixture. Game Prediction: Arsenal 2, Leicester City 1 Best Picks: Both Teams to Score, OVER 2.5 Goals