Leicester City vs AFC Bournemouth, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

Leicester City vs AFC Bournemouth Match Prediction & Analysis

In the round seven of the English Premier League 2024–25 season, Leicester City will take on Bournemouth at the King Power Stadium in Leicester on October 5th at 7:30 p.m. IST. Both teams were met with contrasting outcomes in the previous round. 

The Foxes suffered a heavy defeat of 4-2 against Arsenal away from home, while AFC Bournemouth registered a 3-1 win over Southampton, their second win of the season.

Current Standings: Leicester are yet to register a win this season and are currently languishing at the bottom half of the table at 17th position. Meanwhile, Bournemouth find themselves in a more respectable position of 11th in the points table. 

Head-to-Head Record: With five wins and five draws in 12 games, AFC Bournemouth holds the advantage in head-to-head battles. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Leicester City Preview

Leicester has not had an easy season; despite being competitive throughout, they are winless after six rounds. Furthermore, the outcome of the last encounter would have been difficult to digest, since they failed to capitalise to share points with Arsenal as they conceded goals in the final minutes of the game.  In fact, they conceded two goals inside five minutes of the injury time, with one coming from an own goal.  

Winger Stephy Mavididi, who has six goal contributions (2 goals and 4 assists), and veteran striker Jamie Vardy, who has two goals, will be key to the Foxes' hopes against the Cherries. 

Stats That Matter 

Leicester City are ranked the fourth worst in ball possession with 41.2% averaging 8.7 shots per game. The Foxes score an average of 1.33 goals per match with a shooting accuracy of 37%. Stephy Mavididi, James Justin and Jamie Vardy have scored 2 goals each in the 6 matches played this season. The team has an average of 5.2 saves per game, the best in the season. They have conceded an average of 2 goals per match.

Tactics 

To win against Bournemouth on Saturday, the Foxes will rely heavily on counter-attacks and set-pieces, particularly the latter. Of the eight goals scored by the Foxes, three were from set pieces. Surprisingly, they also have a high conversion rate of about 16%, ranking among the best in the league. Overall, they have an xG of 4.31 but have scored 8 goals. 

Injury List - The Foxes are still without Jannik Vestergaard, Patson Daka, and Jakub Stolarczyk, who are all recovering from various injuries. Steve Cooper may not make many changes to his team, so expect more or less the same team. 

Leicester City Probable Starting Lineup - Hermansen (GK) ; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen (Defenders); Winks, Skipp, Ndidi, El Khannouss, Mavididi (Midfielders); Vardy.

AFC Bournemouth Preview

In contrast to Leicester, the Cherries find themselves in a far more comfortable position after the first few rounds. This despite having one of the most difficult schedules of the season. The most important takeaway for them this season has to be the Everton game, where they showed resilience  as they battled from two goals behind until injury time to defeat their opponents.

Bournemouth's top performer this season has been Antoine Semenyo. The winger finished the previous season strongly and appears to have taken that form into the current season, establishing himself as one of the Cherries' important players. Semenyo's ability to stretch defences with his speed and 1v1 ability has made him an important outlet for Iraola's team. So far, he has scored three goals and an assist. 

Stats That Matter

AFC Bournemouth are ranked 16th in ball possession with 42% averaging 16.3 shots per game. The Cherries score an average of 1.33 goals per match with a shooting accuracy of 35%. Antoine Semenyo is the top scorer with 3 goals this season. Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra have also scored 1 goal each in the 6 matches played this season. The team has an average of 5 saves per game, the 2nd best in the season. They have conceded an average of 1.50 goals per match.

Tactics 

The centre-backs and fullbacks will have a job to mark out Vardy and Mavididi. In terms of formation, Iraola will opt for a 4-2-3-2 formation. In the meantime, he is likely to start the same 11 that played Southampton last week. 

AFC Bournemouth Probable Starting Lineup - Kepa (GK); Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez (Defenders); Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Outtara, Tavernier (Midfielders); Evanilson (Forward) 

LEICESTER CITY vs AFC BOURNEMOUTH
Winning Prediction

Leicester City has a slight edge over Bournemouth based on their head-to-head record at the King Power Stadium. However, Bournemouth's recent away form suggests that the match will be closely contested. Both teams are looking for a win to improve their league positions. Leicester, despite their struggles, has shown some resilience at home. A double chance for Leicester seems to be the likely outcome of this match. 

Leicester City to Win (1-0)

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