European Football will be on the minds of both sets of players as they take to the turf at Molineux on Friday. Recent results have seen Wolves slip to seventh in the Premier League and the Europa League will be a more realistic target but for third placed Leicester, there is the genuine aim of Champions League football in 2020/21.
This seems a worthy pick for Friday night football and it should be an entertaining affair but, more importantly, can we find any profits in this 3pm ET kick off?
Wolves vs Leicester MoneyLine Odds
The betting for the three possible outcomes in this match is all odds-against. With no heavy favorite, there is some moneyline value if we make the correct call. With the benefit of home advantage, Wolves are the narrow favorites and you can pick up Nuno Espirito Santo’s men between +140 and +150 (6/4) in most places while the win for Leicester City Foxes is close at around the +185 mark.
With the sides so closely matched in the USA sportsbooks’ betting lines, there will be some definite interest in the draw which can be claimed at around +215 (just over 2/1).
Both teams are firmly in the top half of the Premier League soccer table but form is patchy on both sides. Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester are aiming to consolidate third place and have taken a respectable 10 points from their last six outings. A surprise defeat to Burnley in that period, however, suggests they could be vulnerable on Friday.
As for Wolves, their form is notably worse with just five points from their last six but they have played Liverpool and Manchester United in that time. All of this underlines the fact that this promises to be tight and it’s not making a decision any clearer. We’ll come back to the result in our Wolves vs Leicester predictions’ verdict but let’s now look at the players who can clinch the points.
Interesting Prop Bets
The first goalscorer betting markets are well balanced and there are joint favorites at the top. One player from either side shares that favorites berth with Wolves’ Raul Jimenez and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy kicking things off.
Vardy is the leading scorer in the EPL this season and will come into this game with 17 goals in 26 games across all competitions. Mexican striker Jimenez has 20 goals in 38 games but nine of those strikes have come in the Europa League.
There could be some value picks for first goalscorer as we move through the list which shows Leicester’s back-up striker Kelechi Iheanacho as third favorite. One player who interests us at longer odds of around +1000 is Wolves’ Diogo Jota. The Portuguese attacking midfielder has nine goals in 31 matches in this campaign and while that may not be the best return, he has a tendency to make important contributions in games like these.
Other regular prop bets to consider include Both Teams to Score which will be priced up this week at a best of around -125. That’s not the worst figure we’ve seen for BTTS although do take into account that Wolves have been shut out in two of their last five matches.
If the match is as tight as we’re expecting, bettors could look at any available winning margin markets. We suspect that if there is a positive result, it will take just one goal to decide the three points. With that in mind, Wolves to win by one goal is available at around +320 while Leicester to win by the same margin is quoted at a general +350.
Our feeling is that the points will be shared and therefore, we’ll be considering a correct score of 1-1 at around the +600 mark.
Wolves vs Leicester Key Battles On The Pitch
It should be an entertaining game but will Friday night’s fixture turn into the feast of goals that many are expecting? When Leicester hosted Wolves on the opening match of the 2019/20 season, the tie was goalless after 90 minutes. For all the attacking flair in either camp, the sides possess two of the meanest defenses in the EPL and that factor needs to be taken into account.
Leicester City have conceded 26 goals and that mark is bettered by just two teams in the division. Wolverhampton Wanderers have let in 32 and that’s equal or better to any side below them in the table.
Based on those obvious stats, we suspect that each side needs a moment of attacking brilliance to breach the defenses. Fine margins will decide the outcome so we now need to look for some winning picks.
Our Betting Preview’s Wolves vs Leicester Predictions & Picks Verdict
We expect the teams to cancel each other out and for a draw to land at the end of 90 minutes. If you disagree, you might at least concede that there will only be one goal in it by the final whistle.
Along with the draw, we’re opting for Jamie Vardy to score first. The former England man has a happy tendency of raising his game in the vital fixtures and this is where he can stand out. To finish, we’ll take Both Teams to Score, which carries decent value odds this week.
The odds may not look exciting but it’s all about aiming for an overall profit. If you don’t agree, you could look to back Diogo Jota as the goal scorer while we may also take a small wager on that 1-1 Correct Score.
So these are the picks and Wolves vs Leicester predictions that this preview has settled on:
- Back the draw @ best odds of +230 with 5Dimes.
- Take Jamie Vardy to score the first goal @ +350 with Bovada.
- Get on ‘both teams to score’ @ -130 with Bovada.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.