- Leicester has never won the opening three matches of a PL season
- Harry Kane scored a hat trick against the Foxes last season
- Gokhan Inler is expected to make his Leicester debut
Leicester City is the surprise story of the season so far, as the team many pegged for relegation has won it’s opening two matches, scoring six goals in the process.
On Saturday at the King Power Stadium, the Foxes will look to make it three straight wins when they host Tottenham Hotspur (Watch live, 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via Live Extra).
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Claudio Ranieri’s appointment as Leicester boss wasn’t the most applauded decision of the summer, but the seasoned Italian manager has his team off to a flying start. Riyad Mahrez has been extremely impressive through two matches, leading a free-flowing attack that that has Foxes’ supporters cheering for more.
Summer signing Shinji Okazaki scored his first Leicester goal last weekend, and another new face is set to join the party as Gokhan Inler is expected to start for Ranieri’s side against Tottenham. Inler has experience captaining Switzerland at a World Cup and playing in the Champions League for Napoli, so his presence in the midfield will be massive for the Foxes.
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Tottenham’s start to the season has been the complete opposite of Leicester’s, losing 1-0 on opening day to Manchester United before drawing 2-2 with Stoke City. Spurs were up 2-0 at halftime in front of a home crowd at White Hart Lane against the Potters, but conceded two late goals to leave with just a point.
Spurs will need to shore up their defense, as Leicester has scored a league-high six goals through two matches. With high hopes heading into the season, going three games without a win would not sit well in north London.
What they’re saying
Spurs’ boss Mauricio Pochettino on improving the defense: “People will speak about how we need offensive players but we need to be more consistent because we conceded a lot of goals last season. It wasn’t our problem to score, it was conceding goals, and we need to improve that this season.”
Claudio Ranieri on building Leicester’s reputation: “We want to build our foundation and with a big foundation you can then build the first floor, second floor and everything. If we start to build maybe in three or four years a lot of players will want to come to Leicester. Why not?”
Prediction
Leicester has been great and Tottenham has been poor, but I think this has the makings of a very close match. Spurs will be eager to get their first win of the season, but a veteran manager like Ranieri knows a draw for his Foxes will still be a great result. Leicester City 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur.