We’re going to win the league! That was the emphatic cry of Leicester City supporters after their beloved Foxes defeated Crystal Palace by a solitary goal on March 19. Heading into this weekend’s matches, Leicester City sit five points clear of Tottenham at the top of the Premier League table with only seven games left to go.
Claudio Ranieri’s men will look to inch further closer to their first league title when they take on Southampton in a mouth-watering showdown at King Power Stadium this coming Sunday. Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this much-anticipated clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Liverpool vs. Tottenham.
Leicester City stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches with a gritty 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on March 19. Riyad Mahrez scored the winner for the Foxes who have now won 13 games by a single goal this season. The 25-year-old has now scored or assisted in 27 goals this season.
Leicester City will look to continue their excellent form when they face Southampton this coming Sunday. The Foxes will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well at home this season. Leicester City are second in the league in points scored at home this campaign with 32. They have scored 25 goals in 15 matches played at King Power Stadium.
They will have their work cut out for them, however, against a Southampton backline that has conceded just 14 goals on the road this season, third-fewest in the Premier League. The Saints are third in the league in scoring defense, allowing just 32 goals this campaign. To make matters worse for the Foxes, they have won only one of their last eight matches against Southampton (drawn four, lost three) in the Premier League.
That won’t faze the league leaders though who have the red-hot duo of Mahrez and Jamie Vardy by their side. They have set each other up for eight Premier League goals this season (five Mahrez assists, three Vardy assists), a joint-high along with Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil.
The Foxes are 4-2-0 in their last six Premier League home matches.
Here come the Saints! Southampton stormed to their second successive league win with a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Liverpool on March 20. Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle scored the winning goals for the Saints who moved to within four points of Manchester City for the fourth and final Champions League spot.
Things are bound to get tougher, though, for the Saints as standing in their way this coming Sunday are Premier League leaders Leicester City. The Foxes have been incredible this season, grabbing 66 points in their opening 31 matches. That’s quite a turnaround for Claudio Ranieri’s men who were sitting at the bottom of the league table at this same stage last season.
For Southampton to dent Leicester City’s title aspirations, they will need to find a way to stop the in-form Jamie Vardy. The Englishman is second in the league in scoring this season with 19 goals to his name. Vardy scored a precious double in Leicester City’s 2-2 draw with Southampton earlier this season. Apart from stopping Vardy, Southampton will also need Pelle to continue his excellent play. He has been involved in each of the Saints’ last five goals, scoring three and assisting the other two for strike partner Sadio Mane.
The Saints are 3-1-2 in their last six Premier League away matches.
