English Premier League Soccer - Everton vs. Leicester City, 7/1/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
Unbeaten in their last eight Premier League home games, 12th-placed Everton will try to keep their domestic form going while hosting 3rd-placed Leicester City, who have been struggling lately. Kick-off - at 13:00 PM ET on Wednesday, July 1.
Toffees Edge Out Norwich
Everton’s solid form following the Premier League restart continued, as the team followed up its scoreless home draw against newly-crowned champions Liverpool with a 1-0 road victory versus bottom-dwelling Norwich City at Carrow Road last Wednesday. Centre-half Michael Keane buried a second-half header from a corner by Lucas Digne, who recorded his sixth assist of the current EPL season, with only Liverpool duo of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson now having posted more helpers among defenders. The Toffees are 12th in the league with a W11 D8 L12 record, trailing the top-seven by mere four points.
English forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Brazilian marksman Richarlison are both on double digits for Premier League goals this year, having banked 13 and 10 strikes respectively. Goalie Jordan Pickford, meanwhile, sits 12th in the league with 79 saves. He has registered eight clean sheets in 31 games this season and allows a goal every 61 minutes on average. Everton have scored the 10th highest quantity of goals this year (38), while taking the 6th highest number of shots per game (13.1). The team is 10th in ball possession (49.0%) and 12th in passing accuracy (77.3%).
Foxes Draw With Brighton, Lose To Blues
Leicester City remained on the lookout for their first victory since the restart of English soccer following the coronavirus break after earning their second consecutive draw in the league before being knocked out of the FA Cup during the quarter-finals less than a week later. The Foxes followed up their 1-1 road tie against Watford on June 20 with a goalless draw versus Brighton & Hove Albion at King Power Stadium last Tuesday before posting a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the last-eight of the oldest national soccer competition in the world five days later. Leicester remain 3rd in the Premier League (W16 D7 L8), one point above 4th-placed Chelsea, trailing 2nd-placed Manchester City by eight points.
England striker Jamie Vardy leads the Foxes and the whole Premier League with 19 strikes for the season. Goalie Kasper Schmeichel, meanwhile, resides 9th in England’s top-flight with 85 saves. He has posted 11 clean sheets in 31 appearances during the current campaign and concedes a goal every 96 minutes of play. Leicester have scored the 3rd highest amount of goals this year (59), while delivering the 5th highest number of shots per game (13.9). The team is 4th in ball possession (54.9%) and 6th in passing accuracy (82.5%).
Prediction
Everton have won just one of their last five Premier League contests (W1 D2 L2), but have gone unbeaten for eight straight EPL home games (W4 D4), with their last domestic defeat coming on Nov. 23 against Norwich City (2-0). Leicester City sit nine places and 14 points above the Toffees in the league, but have gone on a downward spiral lately, managing to post just two victories in their last 10 contests in all competitions (W2 D4 L4). Having already banked two triumphs in their previous three Premier League encounters with the Foxes in Liverpool, Everton are definitely looking like the favorites in this one!
Best bet:
Everton to win (+150)