Sports Blog 18/05/2017: Premier League Preview – Leicester vs Tottenham, Thursday 18th May 2017

With the end in sight, can Leicester crawl back into the top half with an unlikely win over Tottenham, at 7.45pm on Sky Sports 1?

The Foxes’ season has only been slightly less absurd than last year’s title winning run. Up until spring they were flirting with relegation, leading to the departure of now-club legend Claudio Ranieri and the instatement of Craig Shakespeare as manager. At the same time they managed a Champions League run that saw them narrowly lose in the quarter-finals, getting further than any of their English colleagues.



In a way, then, it is a shame that Leicester are going to finish in the dullest place of all – mid-table. Currently they sit in 11th place, but can jump to 9th with a win, and could even reach 8th if they can somehow absolutely hammer Spurs. To do some they are going to need a vintage Vardy performance; the English forward has 12 league goals, half the tally he managed last season. However, there have been glimpses of his former self since Shakespeare took over, and he heads into Thursday night at a Super Mega PGM of 22-27.

As for Tottenham, they are in a familiar position: at the end of another excellent campaign, one that nevertheless seems them without any silverware to show for it. Though they managed their best ever Premier League finish that will provide little solace to a side that once again fluffed their lines when it mattered.

There are still a couple of things for them to chase when they visit the King Power Stadium, however. First, and most likely to remain unchallenged, is their defensive record; in 36 games they have conceded just 24 goals, the best in the league (Man United come in 2nd after letting in 29 goals, but they’ve only scored 52 to Spurs’ 73).

Second, Harry Kane – who sits at a Super Mega PGM of 48-56 – is still in the running for the Golden Boot. The 23-year old has found the net 22 times, behind Alexis Sanchez’s 23 and Romelu Lukaku’s 24, but having played one game less. Given Tottenham’s final two opponents are Leicester and the already-relegated Hull, one wouldn’t put it past Kane to nab the award for a second year in a row.

So far the week has provided a range of results from ostensibly pointless fixtures. On one end of the spectrum champions Chelsea produced a 4-3 thriller against Watford of all sides; on the other Manchester United slumped to their latest dull 0-0 draw against Southampton. The attacking capabilities of both sides this evening will hopefully mean it is closer to the former than the latter, with Spreadex offering a Tottenham/Leicester (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.35-0.55 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.9-3.1.