Leicester vs Brentford Prediction: Schade one to watch for Bees

We’ve got some Premier League action coming our way on Friday night as Leicester City look to give their relegation battle some impetus with a win over Brentford at the King Power. This one kicks off at 20:00 on Sky Sports Main Event, with the Foxes currently two points adrift of Wolves, who sit just above that dotted line. 

Ruud van Nistelrooy will know his side have to start winning games at home if they are to survive in this league and there may be no better place to start than Friday, up against a Brentford outfit who have struggled on the road so far. Below you can find my Leicester vs Brentford predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News 

James Justin will miss this clash through injury, but the good news for Leicester fans is that his issue is not as serious as first feared. He came off just before the break v Arsenal and was seen wearing a protective boot in the second half, sparking fears he could be out for the rest of the season. 

But Van Nistelrooy confirmed that it was a  “question of weeks and not more” for the right-back in terms of his return. His absence means that Woyo Coulibaly is in line for his full Foxes debut under the lights having joined from Parma for £3m in January. 

He performed well off the bench against Arsenal and will be given a run here, while there is also positive news for long-term absentee Ricardo Pereira, who has been out since November. 

“Pereira is making good progress in his comeback and he’s part of team training, so hopefully in the coming weeks he can do more and be part of games as well,” the manager confirmed. Harry Souttar, Odsonne Eduoard and Abdul Fatawu remain sidelined for the hosts. 

Thomas Frank also has a fresh injury concern to deal with as Sepp van den Berg is facing a fitness test after picking up a knee issue at West Ham. However, in positive news, Ethan Pinnock replaced him at the back and his return from injury has come at a good time, as he could slot straight in if Van den Berg doesn’t make it.

Kevin Schade was back in the goals and he will be licking his lips having scored a hat-trick against the Foxes in the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign. Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey remain out, as do Josh Dasilva and Igor Thiago, while Mathias Jensen is still trying to get a start in midfield, having been a substitute in recent weeks.

Leicester vs Brentford Odds

Leicester are priced at 12/5 to win this game, having only won two league fixtures at the King Power all season. The away side can be backed at 19/20, which gives them an implied win probability of 55%, while a draw is priced up at 13/5. 

Over 2.5 goals can be backed at 8/15 with that coming in during 17 of Leicester’s 25 games so far, while BTTS is 1/2. Bryan Mbeumo is the favourite to score first at 9/2 having struck 14 times in league already this season. 

Brentford to win and BTTS @ 23/10

I will back the away side to come out on top, even though Leicester are in desperate need of the points. I actually think these types of away games suit Brentford, with their solid shape and pacy attackers able to cause problems on the counter-attack. With a team as leaky as Leicester, and a striker as good as Mbeumo, I think the Bees can sting the Foxes and leave them in disarray. 

However, I will give credit to the home side as I do believe they can score in this encounter. As I’ve just mentioned, both teams have scored in 17 of their Premier League matches so far, giving them a success rate of 68 per cent, the third-highest total in the league. They can score, but ultimately I think the quality of Brentford’s attack will prove too much to deal with. 

Kevin Schade to score anytime @ 2/1

All the attention may be on Mbeumo, and rightly so as he continues to have the best goalscoring season of his career, but I think Schade is well worth backing here. He scored at West Ham from the left wing and having scored three and set up the other in a 4-1 win over Leicester earlier in the season, could have another profitable afternoon. 

His pace and movement are phenomenal, and he will now be full of confidence as he looks to put Leicester to the sword again. I don’t think the Foxes are particularly strong defensively and they haven’t kept a clean sheet since October 5. They’ve leaked 55 goals in just 25 Premier League fixtures this term, and I think Schade could take full advantage once again. 

Offers

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