Premier League: Foxes Are Itching for a First Win

Leicester City vs Bournemouth

The Foxes are yet to taste a victory in this Premier League season, leaving them amongst the relegation contenders early into the campaign.

Almost salvaging a huge result against Arsenal last time out, a sure defeat gave Leicester fans at the Emirates something to cheer for, when the visiting side tied the game out of nowhere courtesy of a James Justin brace—the second goal, a rocket of a volley.

But just when the Foxes thought they were coming out of North London with a point, two quick-fire goals in added time buried their hopes as Kai Havertz and a Wilfred Ndidi own goal sealed all three points for the home team.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth were scintillating against bottom-feeders Southampton, routing the Saints 3-1 at the Vitality Stadium.

Three first-half goals from Evanilson, Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara were enough for the Cherries to take their second win of the season.

And after a rousing performance against a team like Southampton, chances are the Cherries will run the show at the King Power Stadium come Saturday.

Talking Points

Is time running out for Steve Cooper?

Some fans have voiced their discontent to how Leicester have started their season so far.

There are those who have criticised Steve Cooper’s style of defending too deep with little to nothing going on in front, moving away from former boss Enzo Maresca’s possession-based style. Some argue that the club are still heavily reliant on Jamie Vardy for most of their attacking sequences, which should not be the case as the 37-year-old should’ve had his reliever at this point in his career.

Fan favourite Ricardo Pereira was also dropped by Cooper in favour of James Justin—a move that did not sit well with the Blue Army.

And now that the Foxes are struggling with defence and cannot seem to perform the way they wanted—and should—for the full 90 minutes, perhaps decisions must be made sooner if not later.

But that’s with the Leicester hierarchy to decide.

Until then, they can only hope that their upcoming match against Bournemouth will finally result in a win.

Antoine Semenyo leads the way

Despite losing Dominic Solanke to Tottenham, Bournemouth have found a new talisman they can rely on in the form of Antoine Semenyo.

The Ghana international finished last season with eight goals and two assists in 33 games played. And with the way he’s performing as of late, it’s looking likely that he’ll surpass his tally, not needing at least 30 more matches to do so.

The 24-year-old winger now has three goals and an assist in six Premier League outings this year, scoring against Everton, Forest and Southampton.

Two of his three goals came in the dying stages of the match.

If he can continue producing a bunch of Premier League 2024 highlights, this time against Leicester, then the Cherries could move into the top half of the table over the weekend.

History

There have been 24 meetings between Bournemouth and Leicester, with the Foxes victorious nine times to the Cherries’ eight. Meanwhile, five of their matches ended in a draw.

In recent times, Bournemouth have been the better side, winning three of their last four games played in the league. This included wins from 2020 up to 2023.

The only time both clubs have met last year was at the FA Cup, where Abdul Fatawu fired Leicester to the quarter-final of the tournament after a goal in the 105^th minute.

But you’ll have to go back in August 2019 to find Leicester’s last winning EPL result against Bournemouth.

Betting Tip

Regardless of their disparity on the table, the SBOTOP Premier League 2024 odds see this one being a close affair. Of course, the away team are backed to win at 2.20, whilst the hosts are priced at 2.89.

A stalemate, on the other hand, goes for 3.32.

But even as I see this one being relatively close, I feel like Bournemouth can close Leicester out—not without any problems of course.

The Foxes have shown a fighting spirit so far; had fate been a tad kinder, then they would’ve already put their names in the win column. Regardless, I have faith in Andoni Iraola managing his side to a victory as he returns from a one-match ban after already receiving three yellow cards in the season.

For alternative bets on this game, those who are looking to play it safe can put their money on a double chance result, seeing how close these two sides are.

 

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