Wolves v Leicester predictions: Foxes' visit could boost Molineux goal tally

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Wolves v Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Over 2.5 goals
2pts 11-10 Hills, Paddy Power

Team news

Wolves
The hosts should welcome back Joao Moutinho (calf) and long-term absentee Pedro Neto.

Leicester
James Maddison (illness) and Caglar Soyuncu (knee) are doubts. Ryan Bertrand, Timothy Castagne, Jonny Evans, Wesley Fofana, James Justin and Jamie Vardy are still out.

Match preview

Leicester's first two matches of the 2021-22 season were a pair of 1-0 wins over Manchester City in the Community Shield and Wolves in the Premier League but the flaky Foxes have struggled to live up to those defensive standards since then.

Their third game of term ended in a 4-1 defeat at West Ham and they kick off the reverse fixture against Wolves with manager Brendan Rodgers trading as favourite to be the next top-flight boss out of a job.

Given that Leicester sacked Claudio Ranieri just nine months after their extraordinary Premier League triumph of 2015-16, Rodgers will not be sitting comfortably in the hotseat despite last season's FA Cup victory and fifth-placed finish.

His job has been made harder by injuries, notably to star striker Jamie Vardy, who scored the winner against Wolves on the opening weekend, and Africa Cup of Nations absentees, but Leicester's vulnerability at the back is the major problem.

Since those August shutouts against champions City and Wolves, the Foxes have kept just three clean sheets in 33 matches in all competitions, two of which were against Championship side Millwall in the EFL Cup and Premier League strugglers Newcastle just before Christmas.

The third, bizarrely, came in a 1-0 home win over a fearsome Liverpool side on December 28 but that too seems to have been a false dawn as Leicester have shipped 14 goals in seven subsequent matches including a 4-1 FA Cup loss at second-tier Nottingham Forest.

They came close to a much-needed win last weekend, conceding an injury-time equaliser to draw 2-2 with West Ham, before beating Danish underdogs Randers 4-1 in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Rodgers admitted he had been unaware of the competition's existence until after Leicester's Europa League exit in December but he will be hoping the Randers win can kickstart a sorry season for his side.

For all their defensive woes, Leicester pose a consistent attacking threat and backing over 2.5 goals could be the best bet in a trappy contest.

That is rarely the case in matches involving Wolves, whose 11 home games have produced only 15 goals, but the Foxes bring an element of chaos to proceedings and could knock Bruno Lage's men off their stride.

Wolves have done most of their best work away from home, picking up seven of their 11 league wins on the road, and they have been beaten by Arsenal in the league and Norwich in the FA Cup in their last two home matches.

They have shown their attacking quality in recent league victories over Southampton (3-1), Brentford (2-1) and Tottenham (2-0), whose striker Harry Kane racked up eight attempts on goal.

Wolves boss Lage has a fully-fit squad with plenty of attacking options and, given Leicester's struggles defending set-pieces, home centre-backs Romain Saiss and Max Kilman are worth considering in the goalscorer markets.

Key stat

Both teams have scored in 16 of Leicester's last 17 away games in the Premier League.

Inside info

Wolves

Penalty taker Raul Jimenez
Free-kick wizard Ruben Neves
Set-piece aerial threat Romain Saiss
Card magnet Ruben Neves

Leicester

Penalty taker Youri Tielemans
Free-kick wizard James Maddison
Set-piece aerial threat Daniel Amartey
Card magnet Wilfred Ndidi

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