Leicester City vs West Brom: Betting Odds & Prediction

A stuttering Leicester City host fellow promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion at the King Power on Saturday. 

The hosts' automatic promotion ambitions have been severely dented in recent weeks after suffering back-to-back losses in the Championship. Carlos Corberan's West Brom have also suffered in recent weeks as they too seek a return to the top-flight via the play-off spots. Kick-off is set for 12:30pm UK time. 

Recent Form

Leicester City

Enzo Maresca's men once looked on course to break Reading's record 106 point tally in the Championship but their form in recent months now leaves many pondering whether they will even qualify for automatic promotion. Consecutive 1-0 defeats at Millwall and Plymouth Argyle, both of whom languish in the bottom half of the table, have left the Foxes in second after 42 matches. Leicester do have a game in hand over leaders Ipswich Town, though this comes against an in-form Southampton side who harbour their own automatic promotion ambitions. 

The two defeats mean Leicester have now lost three of their last five in the league whilst failing to score a goal. All three have been on the road. 

Fortunately for them, their form has fared much better on home soil this term, where they've averaged 2.3 points per game compared to the 1.91 they've managed in away fixtures. They have still recorded two losses in their last five home encounters though, making for a peculiar decline in form given their heroics during the first half of the season. 

Though 40% of their home games have ended in a clean sheet, Leicester haven't shut out an opponent at home since defeating Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 in February. They will therefore be looking to their ever-reliable attacking line who have averaged a 1.98 expected goals (xG) tally at home so far. Their forwards have been clinical, scoring an average of two goals per game. 

Despite a shaky recent record, their last two games on home turf have ended in victory against promotion hopefuls Norwich and bottom-half Birmingham City, and Marezca and co are in desperate need of more points if they are to secure comfortable passage back to the Premier League. 

West Brom

The West Midlanders have also struggled for form in recent weeks. They've won just two of their last six, recording three draws and most recently, a 1-0 home loss to bottom-half Sunderland last weekend. Their two most recent victories have also been on home turf, but Albion are undefeated in their last seven away games (W2, D5). 

Though there's little difference in West Brom's goalscoring patterns in their home and away fixtures, they do tend to concede more on the road; the 1.19 they've conceded on the road is more than the mere 0.79 shipped at the Hawthorns so far. 

They have scored in 81% of their away games though, 43% of which have seen them net at least two goals. The same amount has however seen them concede at leas two, making for ominous reading given Leicester's attacking output at the King Power. 

Prediction

Leicester's overall record at home understandably warrants them entering as favourites, but their recent wobbles makes it difficult to know what to expect from the former Premier League champions. West Brom's form has been far from convincing on the road, but they are still undefeated in their last seven, albeit with five of these matches ending in draws.

Nevertheless, the visitors coming in at a surprising 5/1 underdogs is worth the gamble given the uncertainty around Leicester right now. Worse sides than West Brom have gone to the King Power and won in recents months. 

OddsNow's Pick: West Brom to win (5/1 @ BetFred)