Analysis: Southampton - Leicester, odds and tips

The leader of Football League Championship Southampton will host Lester City at Saint Mary’s Stadium on Monday evening.

Classification and condition of the team:
Southampton is the leader with 50 points. Lester City holds the far away 15th place with 7 points loss to Hull City which is in the zone guaranteeing play-off.

Potential and team situation:
The Saints have the same number of points as West Ham before the Monday match, Cardiff (46) and Middlesbrough (45) are right after them. An aim – to return to the Premier League’s rows was set in the seaport before the beginning of the season. Nicola Kortese, the Swiss club owner has done everything possible for its realization. Not a bad coach, a trust-worthy lineup, absence of financial problems which had been previously pursuing the club – all this has led to a good atmosphere in the team which wasn’t spoiled even by defeats from Bristol and Brighton. Southampton has set to the match against Lester with a weakened lineup: Steve de Ridder (hip), Richard Chaplow (knee), Dann Seaborne (head), Radhi Jaïdi (knee).

Lester planned to fight for an advance and in the meantime is closer to the relegation zone than the advance zone. The manager Nigel Pearson is having headaches because of his players’ injuries: Andy King – the main central halfback. “The Foxes” are again looking for strengthening at several positions. One of such strengthening has to be David Cotteril – Swansea’s halfback. If to speak about the attack line then David Nugent won’t be able to receive help from Billy Sharp, the forward of Doncaster, who has rejected Lester City’s offer. At the moment as it can be seen the club owners haven’t been able to strengthen the team to the extent so they can count on play-off.

History of meetings:
Lester is a very advantageous opponent for Southampton. It is enough just to remember that “the foxes” lost 4 matches in a row at Saint Mary’s and haven’t scored a goal in any of the matches against the Saints.

Tips and justification:
Lester City won’t play very good in a weakened form at Saint Mary’s. Southampton has several injured players but they are the reserve ones. The situation in Lester is somewhat different, in the lineup of which we won’t see the most important players except David Nugent and also the halfback Andy King.