Leicester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Leicester City host Brighton at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday, with a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals up for grabs.
This is one of four all-Premier League ties in the fifth round, and it promises to be a fascinating clash between two teams which like to attack and are on a good run of form.
The Foxes come into the game third in the Premier League and with high hopes of a top-four finish, while Brighton have eased their relegation worries having picked up 11 points from their last five league games.
The Foxes have recently beaten Brighton at the King Power, and with the extra quality in the ranks I’m backing them to see of the Seagulls again.
Talking Points
Foxes hungry for goals
Brendan Rodgers’ team is one of the most attacking in the league, spearheaded by the artful fox Jamie Vardy, who just seems to get better with age, and backed by some of the best young talent in the game, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes. But they have struggled a little in recent weeks, scoring just four goals in the last four games.
An away match at Wolves was a good warm-up for this clash. Coming up against a determined defence in icy conditions, the Foxes were frustrated by the stubborn Wolves rearguard; both Maddison and Barnes were denied by heroic defending.
And in their last game at home, Leicester were frustrated by Leeds United, dominating for long periods and then losing to a late Leeds flurry of attacks to go down 3-1.
But only three teams have scored more than Leicester’s 39 goals in the Premier League and someone is in for a hiding.
Brighton add steel to their style
It may not be Brighton, though.
Graham Potter’s Seagulls are in a rich vein of form, winning four and drawing two of the last six games. Three of their victories have come by a 1-0 score line, one notably against champions Liverpool, and that shows a shift in mentality at the club.
Brighton played expansive football last season and were embroiled in a relegation battle and Potter doesn’t want another scrap in this campaign.
His team showed a lot of resilience in a 1-1 draw at Burnley last Saturday, withstanding a wave of Clarets attacks to grab a well-earned point. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was outstanding, making a series of brave saves to deny Burnley while his defence did their best to protect him.
The team is led by inspirational captain Lewis Dunk; he marshals his defence with supreme authority and is a goal threat at set pieces, scoring his ninth top flight goal (since Brighton were promoted in 2017) with a brilliant header against Burnley. Only three current defenders have scored more: Marco Alonso, Patrick van Aanholt and Virgil van Dijk.
Midfielder Yves Bissouma is a player to watch. He provides some real quality in support of Brighton’s attack and he scored in Brighton’s fourth-round victory over Blackpool.
History
The FA Cup 2021 betting odds here at SBOTOP are offering 13.00 on the Foxes to win the famous trophy and 51.00 for Brighton. Manchester City are hot favourites at 2.75 as they pursue an historic quadruple.
Neither side has won the FA Cup; Leicester came close in the 1960s as beaten finalists on three occasions while Brighton were agonisingly near to lifting the trophy in 1983. In their only appearance in the final so far, they were level at 2-2 with Manchester United deep into extra time when striker Gordon Smith missed a sitter.
They lost the replay 4-0 to add to the pain of relegation from the top flight that year.
Leicester have won ten of the 21 meetings between these two teams this century, while drawing six, and the Seagulls have come out on top just five times.
In the run up to Christmas, the Foxes swept Brighton aside in a 3-0 victory with three first-half goals, a brace for Maddison and a goal for Jamie Vardy, and they have not lost at home to Brighton in the last four encounters.
Betting Tip
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Leicester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion | 1X2 Leicester City @ 1.87 |
| February 11, 03:30 (GMT+8) |
The Foxes are odds-on to win this tie in 90 minutes, with Brighton at 3.78 and the draw at 3.35, but I think it will be a tight affair if Brighton can continue their impressive defensive form.
If that’s the case then under 2.50 goals at 1.91 is an interesting alternative, with a 1-0 Foxes win at odds of at 6.18.
By the time this round of FA Cup 2021 results is in we’ll be down to eight clubs, and any Premier League team which reaches this stage can dream of a Wembley date, unless they draw Manchester City of course!
I reckon the Foxes can make it at least that far, and possibly reach the final again.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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