Leicester City vs Newcastle United
English Premier League, KO: 15:00 Dec 26, 2022, King Power Stadium
LEICESTER CITY will be looking to make it three Premier League wins on the spin when they recommence their campaign at home to Newcastle United on Boxing Day.
Following a wretched start to the season, the Foxes were finally showing signs of getting their act together ahead of the World Cup break.
Brendan Rodgers' side earned a 2-0 win at Everton before winning by the same scoreline away at West Ham United.
That pair of victories propelled Leicester out of the relegation zone and up into 13th position, but they could hardly have asked for a tougher restart when Newcastle come to town.
Eddie Howe's side solidified their top-four credentials with a well-deserved 1-0 win over fellow Champions League qualification hopefuls Chelsea before the season paused, on an evening where I delivered a St James' Park clean sweep.
That triumph means the high-flying Magpies have picked up maximum points from each of their last five Premier League fixtures, and as a result they are surveying the standings from the lofty heights of third place ahead of their trip to the King Power.
Outright Betting
Despite claiming top honours from five of their last seven Premier League meetings with Newcastle, Leicester enter this contest as 9/4 (William Hill) outsiders while point apiece pays out at 12/5 (PaddyPower).
Newcastle, who have lost just one of their 15 Premier League matches this season, arrive in the East Midlands as 6/5 (Bet 365) favourites.
Betting Angles
Newcastle will have their backers at the above-mentioned price but I'm going to plump for an alternative play via the Bet Builder market by putting together Newcastle to Score, Over Two Newcastle corners and Each Team to Receive a Card at 5/6 (Bet 365).
The Magpies have made the net bulge in 12 of their 15 top-flight fixtures this season thus far, including eight of their last nine outings, a sample that includes wins over the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea.
While Leicester were demonstrating marked improvement before the enforced break, they have posted just three clean sheets across their opening 15 Premier League assignments of the season.
As such, I'll side with Newcastle to score, but to nudge up the price, I'll also back the visitors to earn at least three corners – something Eddie Howe's side have managed in all but two of their 15 league games this term.
With a closely-fought contest anticipated, coupled with the fact that both teams are averaging in the region of 1.5 cards per-game this season, I'll round off the Bet Builder by backing referee Jarred Gillet (averaging 3.86 cards per-game) to show both teams at least one booking.
When you consider the aforementioned combination has clicked in four of the Toon's last five top-flight tussles, supporting the same 5/6 (Bet 365) formula here holds appeal.
Given the form Newcastle were in ahead of the World Cup shutdown, I'll also go with Newcastle to score Over 1.5 Team Goals at 27/10 (SBK).
The St James' park outfit have scored multiple goals in three of their last four Premier League fixtures and they are certainly capable of following suit against a Foxes rearguard that is not exactly renowned for being robust.
This English Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United will be played on Dec 26, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Leicester City vs Newcastle United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
