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The Foxes take on Tottenham in the final game week of the Premier League season at the King Power Stadium on 23rd May. With both teams contesting for a European spot, it is a must-win game for either team.
Leicester City’s last three games were mixed with both joy and disappointment. It all started with a 1-2 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford that boosted their confidence and put them in a good spot in the Premier League table. Subsequently, a sensational strike by Youri Tielemans guaranteed them a win against the Blues and created history by lifting their first-ever FA Cup trophy.
But the joy did not last long as they lost 2-1 against Chelsea four days later after a disappointing performance away from home. Anything other than a loss would have put them in a better position, but it is what it is.
Spurs, on the other hand, are no way close to how they started this season, and they have only themselves to blame. In the last two months, they have lost games against Chelsea, Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham, Arsenal, and Man City that led the side to sack their manager Jose Mourinho under a lot of pressure. Moreover, they got knocked out of the Europa League and lost the Carabao Cup final against City, which was their only hope of winning silverware this season.
In the last three games, they have suffered two defeats. The 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in their last game drastically reduced their chances of securing a Europa League spot. It has been a disappointing season for the Spurs, yet again, and the only way to change things around next season is by qualifying for the Europa League.
As things stand, Leicester are currently fifth in the table, with goal difference being the differentiating factor between them and Liverpool. To secure a spot in the Champions League without depending on the results elsewhere, they have to beat Ryan Mason’s side by a big enough margin close to the goal-difference gap. A defeat will mean Leicester play in the Europa League next season.
Tottenham are currently seventh in the table behind West Ham and with Everton behind their back. Spurs have to win to secure a spot in the Europa League or the Europa Conference League. However, for the former to happen, the Hammers have to lose in their backyard against Southampton. Moreover, even a draw against Leicester would mean Everton or Arsenal could catch them with wins in their respective games.
Both teams have to win this fixture to end their season on a higher note. Both the teams have to play their best XI and put up a great performance to provide themselves with the best possible chance of playing European Football. With respect to injuries, Japhet Tanganga, the young right-back, picked up a potentially serious leg injury in the latter stages of the clash against Villa. On the flip side, the Leicester manager confirmed that Jonny Evans, the experienced centre-back, would most likely miss the upcoming fixture which is a huge blow considering their defensive form lately.
Head-to-head:
Last 5 matches – Leicester City – 2 wins, Tottenham Hotspurs – 3 wins.
Key Players
Kelechi Iheanacho is by far the best player for Leicester this season with 12 goals in 24 outings in this year’s Premier League. He is Leicester’s highest goal scorer in all competitions this season with 19 goals to his name – four more than veteran Jamie Vardy. The Nigerian striker was also quick to pounce on Mateo Kovacic’s mistake last game thereby increasing his goal tally. With that goal, he became the first Premier League player to score a goal on all seven days of the week within a single season in all competitions.
Harry Kane is leading the Golden boot race alongside Mohamed Salah in this year’s Premier League. The English striker has 22 goals and 13 assists in just 34 games this season – no other spurs player is even close to these numbers. With the ongoing rumours, this could be his very last game for Tottenham Hotspurs and he would definitely look to end his career in this jersey on a high by at least winning the golden boot.
Prediction
Both Tottenham Hotspurs and Leicester City have nothing to lose so they may go all out against each other to end their season with smiles on their faces, while only one could prevail. Apart from winning, the Foxes will also try to score more goals to decrease the goal difference gap, and while doing so, they might let their defence open. Whereas Spurs don’t have any pressure with respect to goal difference, they will look to capitalise on this fact. If they manage to find a lead, the pressure automatically builds for the opponents. With quality strikers on either side, it all comes down to who dominates the ball in the mid-field. An exciting contest awaits.
