MX23RW : Sunday, December 29 18:23:12| >> :120:28088:28088:
[monks data]
West Ham logo
Premier League | Gameweek 2
Aug 23, 2021 at 8pm UK
London Stadium
Leicester logo

West Ham
4 - 1
Leicester

Fornals (26'), Benrahma (56'), Antonio (80', 84')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Tielemans (70')
Pereira (71')
Perez (40')

Preview: West Ham United vs. Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Monday's Premier League clash between West Ham United and Leicester City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Following respective victories on the opening day of the 2021-22 Premier League season, Champions League hopefuls West Ham United and Leicester City prepare for battle at the London Stadium on Monday night.

David Moyes's men claimed a thrilling 4-2 victory over Newcastle United on the opening weekend, while the Foxes edged past Wolverhampton Wanderers by a goal to nil.


Match preview

West Ham United manager David Moyes applauds the fans at the end of the match on August 7, 2021© Reuters

West Ham's old nemesis Callum Wilson took just five minutes of the new season to strike against the Hammers after the trickery of Allan Saint-Maximin proved too difficult for Moyes's side to deal with, and while Aaron Cresswell's unorthodox goal levelled proceedings, Newcastle went into the break with a 2-1 lead thanks to Jacob Murphy's own header.

However, a Michail Antonio-inspired second half saw West Ham hit back three times without reply, as the Hammers' only recognised striker set up Said Benrahma's equaliser and powered in his side's fourth of the day either side of missing a penalty - where Tomas Soucek was unsurprisingly on hand to tap home the rebound.

The Hammers may not have been able to sustain a charge for Champions League football last term, but they have already risen into the top four and will aspire to remain above that dotted line for the next 37 gameweeks - however challenging that may be.

West Ham produced the goods at the London Stadium more often than not last season and were only behind Manchester City regarding home form, but they did suffer two defeats without scoring in their final three home games before downing Southampton 3-0 on the final weekend.

The highly-anticipated return of the bubble-blowing crowd ought to see West Ham improve their capital fortunes even more, and the London Stadium doors have opened at just the right time, as Moyes's side have suffered three successive defeats in their first home game of the season.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers gives instructions to his players on August 7, 2021© Reuters

With two up-and-coming players in Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho hoping to have the torch passed down to them, 34-year-old Jamie Vardy continues to prove his worth to Leicester and netted the only goal of the game in a 1-0 success against Wolves last weekend.

After Ricardo Pereira managed to weave his way past two Wolves defenders, Vardy made a darting run towards the near post and expertly flicked the ball over Jose Sa with the outside of his left boot before a trademark wind-up celebration in the form of a wolf's howl.

Leicester's victory in front of the King Power faithful came one week after they lifted the Community Shield by sinking Manchester City - albeit a weakened one - during another memorable outing on the Wembley turf, but the big question on the Foxes fans' lips is whether their side can finally return to the promised land of the Champions League.

Two end-of-season collapses laid those hopes to rest in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, but as ever, Leicester have brought in an astute array of signings as they gear up for their first away game of the new season, although only one of their final four on the road last term ended in victory.

That run included a 3-2 defeat at the London Stadium on April 11, although Brendan Rodgers's side did threaten a comeback after going 3-0 down on the day, and that result completed a double for the Hammers following their surprise 3-0 win at the King Power during the autumn.

West Ham United Premier League form:
  • W

Leicester City Premier League form:
  • W

Leicester City form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W



Team News

West Ham United's Michail Antonio in action on July 7, 2021© Reuters

West Ham's medical bay only has one occupant at the moment in the form of Arthur Masuaku, who is still struggling to shake off a niggling knee injury, but Moyes's squad are otherwise fit and raring to go.

Lukasz Fabianski remains in possession of the gloves despite the arrival of Alphonse Areola, and the former Arsenal man ought to keep his place despite shipping two goals on the opening day.

With transfer activity still quiet at the London Stadium, an unchanged lineup should be fielded against the Foxes, and another goal for Antonio would see him overtake Paulo di Canio and become West Ham's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer.

Rodgers has confirmed that James Maddison and Timothy Castagne are both available - with the latter recovering from the facial injuries he sustained at Euro 2020 - but Wesley Fofana, James Justin, Jonny Evans and Nampalys Mendy are still injured for the visitors.

Castagne's return is timely after Ryan Bertrand returned a positive coronavirus test before the encounter with Wolves, but Luke Thomas will not relinquish his place without a fight, while new signing Jannik Vestergaard picked up an injury in training, so Daniel Amartey should continue to deputise in defence.

Iheanacho is knocking on the door for a recall and boasts three goals from his last four appearances against West Ham, but Rodgers is not expected to demote the ageless Vardy to the bench.

West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Pereira, Amartey, Soyuncu, Castagne; Ndidi, Tielemans; Perez, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy


SM words green background

We say: West Ham United 2-3 Leicester City

In what should be a pulsating game for the neutrals with Vardy and Antonio seeking to pick up where they left off on matchday one, expect goals galore in the capital between two sides aiming to make an early statement of intent.

The Foxes have recruited well once again and remain in Maddison's capable creative hands despite persistent links with Arsenal, and we think Rodgers's side will just edge a five-goal thriller to avenge their back-to-back defeats from the 2020-21 season.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data



ID:460103:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect12665:
Written by
Ben Knapton

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Leicester City win with a probability of 50.4%. A draw had a probability of 26.4% and a win for West Ham United had a probability of 23.19%.

The most likely scoreline for a Leicester City win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.63%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (10.04%) and 1-2 (9.11%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.36%), while for a West Ham United win it was 1-0 (8.39%). The actual scoreline of 4-1 was predicted with a 0.4% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: West Ham vs Leicester

West Ham United
37.1%
Draw
20.3%
Leicester City
42.6%
439
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Youri Tielemans in action for Leicester City in May 2021
Read Next:
What is Leicester City's strongest XI for the 2021-22 season?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Cardinals
9-13
Rams
6pm
Jets
@
Bills
6pm
Panthers
@
Buccaneers
6pm
Colts
@
Giants
6pm
Titans
@
Jags
6pm
Raiders
@
Saints
9.25pm
Packers
@
Vikings
9.05pm
Dolphins
@
Browns
6pm
Cowboys
@
Eagles
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool17133140172342
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea18105338211735
5Manchester CityMan City199463226631
6Bournemouth198652923630
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle188553021929
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa188462629-328
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton186842726126
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford187383232024
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham186572330-723
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd186482124-322
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
19Ipswich TownIpswich1826101633-1712
20Southampton1913151239-276


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!