The honeymoon period is over for Ruud van Nistelrooy at Leicester City and he desperately needs a win when Crystal Palace come calling in the Premier League.
The former Manchester United star got off to a great start at the King Power Stadium, with a 3-1 victory over West Ham followed by a spirited draw with Brighton.
But the wheels have come off since then, with the Foxes dropping into the bottom three after losing five Premier League games in a row. That has seen them installed as second favourites for relegation behind doomed Southampton so the Dutchman has to start turning things around.
A 6-2 FA Cup win over QPR at the weekend will have boosted confidence levels but Leicester now face a much tougher task against Palace.
The Eagles have moved five points clear of the drop zone after losing just one of their last nine Premier League games. But they've been drawing too many matches and boss Oliver Glasner will be looking for a win in Leicester.
How the bookies view it: Palace odds-on favourites
With Leicester City in such poor form, BoyleSports make Crystal Palace heavy favourites for this one at 20/23. A win for the Foxes pays 14/5 and the stalemate is priced at 5/2.
Recent head to head: Foxes by a nose
This fixture has been keenly contested in recent years, with the last 11 meetings producing four Leicester victories, three Palace wins and four draws. It ended in a 2-2 stalemate when these sides faced off in London earlier this season.
Players to watch: Vardy still the main man
Leicester remain reliant on evergreen Jamie Vardy for goals and he scored from the spot in the weekend FA Cup romp. The 38-year-old is 9/4 with BoyleSports for anytime scorer.
Jean-Philippe Mateta will be fresh for Palace after getting a breather at the weekend in their FA Cup win over Stockport. The Frenchman could get some joy against a poor Foxes defence and is a decent 7/4 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Leicester are sweating on the fitness of defender Jannik Vestergaard while Abdul Fatawu, Wilfried Ndidi, Ricardo Pereira and Mads Hermansen remain out.
Crystal Palace have midfield duo Adam Wharton and Will Hughes on the injury list alongside Matheus Franca and Franco Umeh-Chibueze.
Leicester City: Stolarczyk, Justin, Faes, Coady, Kristiansen, Winks, Skipp, El Khannous, Soumare, Buonanotte, Vardy.
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Guehi, Lacroix, Richards, Munoz, Mitchell, Lerma, Doucoure, Eze, Sarr, Mateta.
Anything else catch the eye?
Leicester have been leaking goals of late and even Championship side QPR managed to score twice at the King Power on Saturday. That's why over 1.5 Palace goals is just 3/4 at BoyleSports but combining the away win with over 1.5 goals boosts the odds to 5/4.
This should be a close game and the Foxes will offer a threat going forward. So combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals also appeals at evens while the half-time draw could be worth a punt at 6/5.
We only saw seven corners when these sides faced off earlier in the season so under 9.5 flag kicks is another bet worth considering at 13/10 with BoyleSports.
This English Premier League match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace will be played on Jan 15, 2025 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Leicester City vs Crystal Palace prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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