Leicester City vs Brighton and Hove Albion
English Premier League, KO: 14:00 Dec 8, 2024, King Power Stadium
Ruud van Nistelrooy got his Leicester City reign off to a flying start on Tuesday night and will now be targeting another massive three points at home to Brighton and Hove Albion as the Foxes bid to move further clear of the drop zone.
I fancied Leicester's attack to get a bit of joy against West Ham's leaky defence and that's how it panned out as some deadly finishing on the counter attack saw them claim a 3-1 victory in Van Nistelrooy's first game in the dugout.
That victory moved the Foxes four points clear of the drop zone but the bookies still have them among the favourites for Premier League relegation. That could change if the Dutchman keeps picking up points but it won't be against a strong Brighton side.
The Seagulls lost 3-1 at Fulham on Thursday night but they are still in the thick of the fight for a top-four finish under new boss Fabian Hurzeler.
The young German has done a terrific job since taking the reins in the summer and has a strong pool of quality players to pick from after some heavy investment in the summer transfer window.
How the bookies view it: No Dutch double for Foxes
Despite that rousing win over West Ham on Tuesday, Leicester City are 29/10 outsiders for this one with Kwiff. I'm surprised to see Brighton as short as 16/25 and the draw pays 5/2.
Recent head to head: King Power has been a fortress
Brighton are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Leicester, although three of those games did end in stalemates. Those drawn matches were all the King Power and the Seagulls haven't won on their last eight visits.
Players to watch: Another Vardy party?
Evergreen Jamie Vardy remains the biggest threat for the Foxes and his early opener on Tuesday set the stage for their win over West Ham. He got the last half-hour off to take a breather so should be ready to start here and is 11/5 at Kwiff for anytime scorer.
Georginio Rutter has made a good start at Brighton since joining from Leeds and looks a big threat cutting on from the right flank to have shots at goal. The Frenchman is 21/20 at Bet365 to either score or assist here.
Probable line-ups
Harry Winks, Abdul Fatawu, Ricardo Pereira and Jakub Stolarczyk remain sidelined for Leicester due to injury.
Brighton could be without Adam Webster, James Milner, Solly March, Ferdy Kadioglu and Jack Hinshelwood.
Leicester City: Hermansen, Justin, Coady, Kristiansen, Vestergaard, Ndidi, El Khannouss, Soumare, McAteer, Buonanotte, Vardy.
Brighton and Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan, Baleba, O'Riley, Joao Pedro, Mitoma, Rutter, Welbeck.
Anything else catch the eye?
This fixture has delivered lots of thrills in recent years, with BTTS landing in the last six meetings. The two games last season were a 5-2 Brighton win and a 2-2 draw so the omens are good for another cracker.
Combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals only pays 7/10 at Kwiff but over 1.5 first-half strikes on its own is better at 6/5 with the same firm.
West Ham dominated possession in midweek and I'd imagine it will be a similar story for Brighton here. The Hammers won 9-3 on the corner count at the King Power so it could pay to back Brighton at -2 in the corner handicap, which pays 20/21 at Bet365.
This English Premier League match between Leicester City and Brighton and Hove Albion will be played on Dec 8, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Leicester City vs Brighton and Hove Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
In December 2020 we sadly 
