Leicester City vs West Ham
England Premier League.
Date: Saturday, 31st December 2016.
Kick-off at 15:00 UK.
Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester.
West Ham will hope to continue their impressive run of wins in their New Year's Eve clash against Premier League champions Leicester, who are in the midst of a torrid run of form in the league.
The Foxes are three points off the drop zone and have won only two of their past 10 games in the league while progressing to the last 16 in the Champions League.
However, Bilic insists that it was always going to be difficult to maintain the heroics they produced last season.
"From last season, the only way was down," Bilic said.
"It was not a miracle, but it was a big achievement for them, one of the biggest in football history so it was difficult, especially for the manager, to maintain that level.
"The Champions League didn't help, definitely. They did tremendously well in the Champions League. In the Premier League, okay they didn't do well but they are now in a position that they are not happy about it. But there's still a long way to go."
Leicester City: Team News
Jamie Vardy remained sidelined as he serves the second of his three match suspension.
Ranieri will welcome back Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs into the starting line-up who served their one match ban in the 2-0 loss against Everton.
Danny Drinkwater, who came on as a second half substitute in the home defeat at Everton is ready to make his first start since injury.
Leicester City: Predicted Line-up (4-4-2)
Schmeichel – Fuchs, Morgan, Huth, Simpson – Albrighton, Drinkwater, Amartey, Mahrez – Okazaki, Slimani.
West Ham: Team News
Simone Zaza, Gokhan Tore, Diafra Sakho, Reece Oxford and Sam Byram are out with injuries. While James Collins and Manuel Lanzini are major doubts.
Pedro Obiang is available for selection after serving his ban, but it is unlikely that Slaven Bilic change the eleven that earned him a 4-1 win over Swansea last time out.
West Ham: Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1)
Randolph – Cresswell, Reid, Ogbonna, Nordtveit – Kouyate, Noble – Payet, Ayew, Antonio – Carrol.
Leicester City vs West Ham: Head-to-head stats
The latest fixture between Leicester and West ham at the King Power stadium was a thrilling 2-2 draw. Jamie Vardy put the Foxes in front early in the first half. But West Ham strike twice in the final 6 minutes to take a 2-1 lead. Then Leonardo Ulloa scored a late penalty in the injury time to salvage the points for Ranieri’s men.
Leicester City are unbeaten against West Ham in their last 6 Premier League fixtures. They have won twice with 4 matches ending in draws. Both teams have scored in the last 5 matches at the Leicester.
Leicester City vs West Ham:Prediction
The Foxes are in desperate need of a win after picking up 5 points in their last 9 matches. The return of Danny Drinkwater, Robert Huth and Cristian Fuchs will bolster their chances. Truth to be told, majority of the teams in the Premier League have already figured out the way the Foxes play. And West Ham on strong form under Slaven Bilic will be the toughest opponent they have faced in the last 4 weeks.
As seen in the previous clashes between the two, we can expect a higher number of goals. This can be further consolidated by the fact that 5 of the last 6 matches at the King Power stadium have seen a minimum of 3 goals. While West Ham have scored in every match this season, expect once. So both teams to score is the best pick for this fixture.
Leicester City vs West Ham: Bet Tips
Both Teams to Score at 4/5 (1.80)
Over 2.5 goals at 10/11 (1.95).
