Premier League Betting: Can Leicester add to Liverpool's misery and be considered title contenders?

Leicester City find themselves in a conundrum going into this Saturday's top-four clash against Liverpool at the King Power.

Presently, flying under the radar is working out a treat for them as the press and populace figuratively hand Manchester City the title following a pivotal victory at Anfield last weekend. Despite there being a substantial amount of the season still to contest the destination of the Premier League crown is now considered a formality with Jurgen Klopp's side supposedly out of the reckoning.

Privately this trope must annoy the Leicester players and staff no end and understandably so. Having successfully replicated their brilliant first half of last season they have this time avoided the mid-term collapse that sent them spiralling down to fifth. Less reliant on Jamie Vardy's goals the Foxes have become a multifarious threat who have wholly bought in to Rodgers' philosophy of craft and graft while in James Maddison, James Justin and summer signing Wesley Fofana they have stand-out performers who are shining bright.

James Maddison has found the net four times in his last seven outings. He is 3/1 to be an anytime scorer here.

A second horse in title race needed

Only Manchester City have won more games than they have and as recently as three weeks ago the Foxes topped the table but still, they remain relatively over-looked. Still, they're not quite taken seriously as genuine contenders.

Yet ironically, this slight has been to their great benefit because keeping a low profile - keeping the pressure to a minimum - has served them well to date.

"Naturally, Liverpool and Manchester City are two of the greatest teams in the history of the Premier League, so people will be talking about them. We'll do our talking on the pitch." That's what the manager said recently, determined to keep the spotlight away from his high achievers.

Only that is about to change, or at least it will if they beat Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime. The media can't keep banging on about City being the champions-elect for several months: they'll need a second horse in the race to drum up some interest and it's either the Foxes or Manchester United firmly in the frame.

Rodgers won't like it one bit, but his team might soon be getting the attention they thoroughly deserve.

Leicester can close the gap to four points - albeit having played two more games than City - should they prevail at the weekend.

Leicester are currently a whopping 100/1 to win the title.

A wounded mentality monster

First though, there is the small matter of over-coming a Liverpool side in crisis and concerning the Reds' sharp decline we should perhaps get straight to brass tacks because it has been so comprehensively covered elsewhere.

Klopp's team that so recently pulverised English football into submission have now won just two of their last nine league games, failing to score in five of them.

It is form more commonly found in a relegation scrapper and has been explained away by all manner of reasons or excuses - depending on your point of view - that range from fatigue to the absence of fans. Of far more interest here however is not what lies behind their startling regression but how they will respond to it.

As we saw with Manchester City last term great teams who unravel become reactive teams that should be feared at the point of being written off. A humiliating loss for the Blues at Carrow Road for example directly led to an 8-0 hammering of Watford a week later.

We have already witnessed such retaliation from Liverpool in the form of back-to-back wins in the capital in late January. Might Leicester be similarly made to pay for the latest losses to Brighton and Manchester City?

Certainly Liverpool have pedigree in this fixture, unbeaten in their last seven meetings in the league and they'll be fortified by memories of a 3-0 triumph in November. In Mo Salah meanwhile they possess a striker in prolific form who has scored just two fewer at this stage of the season than in his phenomenal debut campaign. The Egyptian is scoring a goal every 115 minutes this term.

Roberto Firmino will also be chomping at the bit with those impressive teeth of his. He has notched six from 11 in this fixture and he can expect chances to fall his way too: Liverpool have had 127 shots on target this season. That's 25 more than Leicester.

The Reds are 21/20 to return to winning ways.

The flying foxes

There are then - unsurprisingly - some positives for the beleaguered Reds to cling to but just as unsurprisingly Leicester will really fancy their chances for this one and with just cause.

The Foxes are unbeaten in nine at home across all comps and will be buoyed significantly by the return from injury of Wilfred Ndidi, their endeavour and their everything in midfield. Rodger's side have lost just one from the 11 league games Ndidi has been involved in this season. They have lost 5 of the 11 where he's been absent.

At the back Leicester have been solid, largely due to the excellent partnership of Fofana and Jonny Evans, and nine clean sheets is testament to that while at the other end 14 different goal-scorers - compared to Liverpool's 11 - show they've found alternative routes to goal beyond looking to Jamie Vardy.

Vardy's numbers still impress, with 11 in 19 games, but whereas last season the ageless poacher fired home 34.3% of his team's total tally this time out that's lowered to 28.2%.

As for where those goals may come from it's worth bearing in mind that Leicester have scored the second most goals in the Premier League from outside the box.

Leicester and Over 2.5 is 4/1 should you believe Liverpool's misery will continue.

Leads and late goals

The importance in breaking the deadlock is obviously a crucial aspect to any game but here it has a particular relevance.

Leicester have won 31 of the 36 league games where they've scored first under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers while the visitors also boast decent figures in this regard. Liverpool have taken the lead 12 times this term and have not lost any of them.

What stands out however is that from those 12 the Reds then conceded five times within 20 minutes (three times within eight minutes) so should Salah or co put Liverpool in front head over to the in-play market and back a Leicester equaliser.

Late goals are also set to feature. Combined, both teams have scored 20.4% of their goal-haul in the last ten minutes while a penalty or two can also be safely predicted. Between them Leicester and Liverpool have been granted 16 spot-kicks this term. That's more than Spurs, Arsenal, Southampton, Leeds, Everton and Wolves put together.

Both teams to score in the first half is a tempting 11/4.