Leicester City vs West Ham United tips: Foxes to grind out low-scoring but crucial win
- George Dempsey
- 26 May 2023
Leicester City must win their final game against West Ham United and hope Everton slip up to retain their Premier League status.
With Leeds also battling the drop, Leicester will also have one eye on their result, but they face a West Ham side that have their survival secured.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Premier League, Sunday May 28, Kick-off 4:30pm, live on Sky Sports Football
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Leicester City to win
Under 2.5 goals
Both teams to score: No
Key stats
Leicester City have averaged 1.16 goals per game at the King Power Stadium this season.
Before Newcastle, Leicester had kept six clean sheets, all against teams in this year's relegation battle: Wolves, Everton, West Ham, Leeds, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
West Ham have failed to score in nine of their 18 Premier League away matches.
The most common scoreline in Hammers' away games has been 1-0, with Moyes' men on the wrong side of it five times.
Leicester City vs West Ham United team news
James Justin (calf), Jannik Vestergaard (calf), Ryan Bertrand (fitness) and Danny Ward (finger) are unavailable.
Jonny Evans (thigh), Wilfred Ndidi (thigh), Caglar Soyuncu (thigh), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (ankle) and Ricardo Pereira (thigh) will all be assessed in the build-up to the game.
West Ham rotated modestly against Leeds and may want to maintain momentum. Gianluca Scamacca (knee) could be their only absentee.
Verdict
Leicester City's point at Newcastle has increased their chances of survival. The Foxes will need Everton to slip up on the final day, but victory could be enough to save them by way of goal difference.
If Everton can only manage a point, then the door is open for Dean Smith's side. If the Toffees win, it's all over. They'll also have one eye on Leeds United who will hope to apply some pressure from below.
Leicester's 0-0 draw at Newcastle earned them some plaudits, but it's fair to ask why. City were second best for 90 minutes and should have conceded two or three times.
The Foxes welcome a West Ham side with nothing to play for on the final day. Their 3-1 win over Leeds should be a warning they're no pushovers, but the first 30 minutes of that game shows they are there for the taking.
West Ham were second best and didn't look interested in pressing Leeds with any real intensity in the early stages. However, Big Sam's men lacked the quality to put them away. West Ham went on to score three times.
Leicester suffer from similar troubles in that they just give themselves too much to do due to the volume of goals they concede. They are the highest scorers outside the top 10, but only Leeds and Southampton have conceded more.
The visitors have struggled on their travels this season. David Moyes' side have won three of their 18 Premier League away games, with five of their 11 points coming against those below them.
Leicester have the firepower to score the goals to keep them up, but fans at the King Power Stadium seem at the end of their tether.
City have been booed off at half-time and full-time quite often recently and a poor start here could build tension inside the stadium.
Regardless of who starts in defence, City will need to be in the game in the latter stages so we could see a cautious and nervy start. We think this game could buck the trends and result in a low-scoring victory for the Foxes.
