Richard Heathcote/Getty Images. Pictured: Leicester City star Jamie Vardy celebrates a victory.
Leicester City vs. Crystal Palace Odds
| Leicester City Odds | -220 |
| Crystal Palace Odds | +700 |
| Draw | +320 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (+106 / -132) |
| Day | Time | Monday | 3 p.m. ET |
| How To Watch | Peacock Premium |
| Odds updated Sunday afternoon via DraftKings. | |
Clubs with very different motivations for the remainder of the Premier League season square off Monday when Leicester City hosts Crystal Palace.
The Foxes are knee-deep in the battle for the final two Champions League berths in next season’s competition. They’re sitting in third place on 59 points, which is just one point better than Chelsea and three clear of West Ham United in fourth place.
Liverpool (54 points), Tottenham Hotspur (53 points) and Everton (52 points) are all within striking distance, with the Reds probably the most dangerous threat to cracking the top four in the standings.
In contrast, the Eagles have no chance of being relegated and likely won’t come near the top 10 in the table. Crystal Palace, which sits in 13th place on 38 points, enters this match fresh off its brutal 4-1 loss against Chelsea.
Let’s take a look at these clubs and see what could be in store for this meeting.
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Leicester City
Manager Brendan Rodgers has to be happy with the position he and the Foxes finds themselves in at this point of their campaign. They have a very slim chance of catching second-place Manchester United, but a win here would give them a much-needed cushion with few matches left on the schedule.
Leicester City snapped a two-game losing streak in its most recent contest, cruising to a 3-0 victory over relegation side West Bromwich Albion. Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans and Kelechi Iheancho scored goals in a match that was the stalwart hold a 2.3-0.4 xG advantage and possess the 71 percent of the game.
Vardy continues to lead the line with 13 goals in his account. Iheancho has been on fire as of late as well, which has created some balance going forward. Teams simply cannot solely focus on Vardy with Iheancho in the mix, as well as James Maddison who is back in the fold after missing time with a hip injury.
Crystal Palace
You really have to question what kind of motivation the Eagles are going to have in their remaining league fixtures. Seriously, what exactly are they playing for other than some pride the rest of the way?
The visitor has not been anything special as of late, putting together a typical Crystal Palace kind of run over the course of its recent matches. The Eagles are 2-2-3 (W-L-D) in their last six affairs, losing the possession battle in six of those contests.
Even worse have been Crystal Palace’s numbers when it comes to expected goals. So, how poor have they been in the advanced metric? Last time out against Chelsea, it lost the xG battle by a whopping 2.5-0.1 margin. That brutal effort, which summed up the Eagles’ glaring offensive ineptness, marked the fourth game in its last seven where it finished with 0.3 xG or less.
Betting Analysis & Pick
In what seems to be an ongoing theme when it comes to my selections, you have to ask yourself one question: who has something to play for in this game? And that answer is simple.
Leicester City would love to book its ticket to European soccer next season, and what better way than moving further clear of the pack behind it than bagging three points at home against a Crystal Palace outfit that seems to be going through the motions.
I’m not a fan of the big number sitting on the Foxes’ moneyline, nor do I fancy them at -0.5 or -1 on the spread. Instead, I’m going another route and targeting their team total. That said, I’m backing Leicester City to score at least two goals at -143 odds via DraftKings as my top play.
If you’re looking for a prop to get involved on, take a shot at Vardy to pick up his 14th goal of the season. He and Iheancho have been finding the back of the net at a pretty even rate, but I will go with the savvy veteran to lead the Foxes to the victory at King Power Stadium.
Pick: Leicester City Team Total Over 1.5 Goals (-143) | Jamie Vardy To Score Anytime — Yes (+116)
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