Leicester v Wolves: Rodgers' Foxes to make fast start to season

Leicester v Wolves: Rodgers' Foxes to make fast start to season

Leicester host Wolves in this weekend's season opener and Simon Mail expects Brendan Rodgers' side to make a winning start...

Foxes buoyed by Wembley win over champions

Leicester celebrated one of the club's most successful seasons despite missing out on Champions League football on the final day of the last Premier League campaign. The Foxes suffered another near miss in the league but Brendan Rodgers led Leicester to their first FA Cup triumph after a 1-0 victory over Chelsea. The Foxes returned to Wembley last weekend and a late Kelechi Iheanacho penalty gave them a 1-0 Community Shield win over over champions Manchester City.

Rodgers has held on to the majority of his squad this summer and made a couple of significant signings to bolster their first team.

Zambia striker Patson Daka has arrived after a £22m move from Red Ball Salzburg where he scored 27 goals in 28 appearances last season. The Foxes have also brought in promising Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare for £17m.

Leicester are on the lookout for another defender after outstanding talent Wesley Fofana was ruled out until 2022 due to a broken leg suffered during a pre-season friendly.

Wolves in transition under new management

It has been all change at Wolves this summer with Nuno Espirito Santo leaving the club at the end of last season after four years in charge. Wolves finished last season in mid-table and lacked sparkle as their form tailed off following Raul Jimenez's long-term injury after fracturing his skull in November. Wolves have replaced Nuno with former Benfica boss Bruno Lage, who has had experience in English football working as an assistant at both Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea.

Wolves appear to be in a state of transition under their new manager, with the club struggling to maintain their form after back-to-back seventh placed finishes in the top flight. The return to fitness of Mexico striker Jimenez is a major boost although there is no guarantee he will reproduce his form from previous seasons. Goalkeeper Jose Sa has replaced Rui Patricio while winger Francisco Trincao will offer creativity after joining on loan from Barcelona.

Hosts worthy favourites for opening win

Leicester are 1.72 favourites to start the season with a win and it is hard to argue with this. The Foxes have finished fifth for the last two seasons after spending most of the campaigns inside the top four. Leicester's squad is settled and their team looks much stronger than their opponents. Leicester have lost just one of their last 24 home league games against Wolves.

Wolves are 5.8 outsiders for this match at the King Power Stadium and there is no appetite to side with the visitors. Wolves ended last season with three successive defeats and could take a few games to settle under their new coach.

Wanderers have also failed to win their last four games against Leicester.

The draw is available at 3.95 and is a more appealing option than backing Wolves. The two sides met in this fixture on the opening day two seasons ago and it finished in a goalless draw. Three of the last four meetings have actually ended 0-0 so the stalemate is a potential runner and odds of 11.5 on a goalless stalemate are worth a second glance.

Leicester backed for low-scoring victory

Leicester look worth backing to open with a win but there is no guarantee it will be a high-scoring contest. Six of the last seven clashes between the teams have seen under three goals with Wolves only managing to score in one of those matches. Wolves were toothless last season and even the return of Jimenez may not spark an immediate lift to their goal tally.

With this in mind, the Foxes are well worth considering in the bet builder market for a win with a clean sheet at 6/4. Slight preference though is for the hosts to win with under 3.5 goals at 5/4. This offers an increased safety net in case Wolves manage to find the net under new boss Lage.

Opta Stat

Since Wolves' return to the Premier League in 2018, they have failed to score in five of their six meetings with Leicester. It is 11/10 for the visitors to draw another blank this weekend.