Fulham vs Leicester Prediction & Betting Tips (24 August)

Last season was mixed for Fulham, who settled for 13th place in the Premier League, marking their second consecutive year in the English top flight. A disappointing result for the Londoners, who had surprised by finishing 10th during their comeback, then harboring great ambitions. Despite everything, the Cottagers can boast of a good performance in the EFL Cup, where they reached the semi-finals, even if their FA Cup journey ended prematurely in the round of 16. At the end of the season, and without any real stakes after having ensured their maintenance, Fulham shared the points against Crystal Palace 1-1 and Brentford 0-0, suffered a heavy defeat against the champion Manchester City 0-4, before concluding with a positive note with a 4-2 success against relegated Luton. To prepare for the new season, the Londoners played friendly matches against Benfica winning 0-1, Sevilla losing 1-2 and Hoffenheim winning 0-2, before losing at the very end of the match against Manchester United in the first day 1-0. Unexpectedly relegated at the end of the 2022-2023 season, Leicester will have been quick to bounce back in the Championship, winning the title of champion of this second division last year.

Impressive throughout the season, the Foxes finally edged Ipswich Town by a single point after 46 hard-fought days, returning to the Premier League after a brief year of transition. From now on, the objective will be to settle permanently in the elite before dreaming of returning to the top of the ranking. The preparation started well for Vardy's teammates, with victories against Villarreal 1-2 and Shrewsbury Town 1-2. However, what followed was less encouraging, with three consecutive losses against Palermo 0-1, Augsburg 1-0 and Lens 3-0. Despite these poor performances, Leicester was able to make a name for itself by obtaining a draw against Tottenham on the first day 1-1. 

Fulham have not suffered any notable injuries recently, but have suffered significant losses which could weaken their balance. After Mitrovic left last season, it was Palhinha who left this year to join Bayern. To compensate for the absence of the Portuguese midfielder, Fulham can still count on Lukic and Andreas Pereira. Center back Adarabioyo left the club for Chelsea, while experienced American Tim Ream moved to Charlotte. Bobby de Cordova-Reid (6 goals, 2 assists in PL) signed freely for Leicester. The loans of Ballo-Touré (Milan) and Broja (Chelsea) were not extended. Fulham welcomed Ryan Sessegnon from Tottenham. Carlos Vinicius and Mbabu return from loans, the latter reinforcing a strong defense comprising Diop, Bassey, Tete, Castagne and Robinson. Despite the presence of Willian, Iwobi, Jimenez, Muniz and Wilson, the attack remains fragile on paper. The club also invested more than 30 million euros to attract Emile Smith-Rowe from Arsenal, as well as defender Jorge Cuenca from Villarreal.

Leicester had to resolve to let one of their midfield pillars go. field, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (12 goals, 14 assists), who joined Chelsea. Striker Akgun, struggling last season with only 1 goal, returned to Galatasaray. Furthermore, the team saw the departure of the experienced Nigerian Iheanacho (Sevilla), as well as the Belgian international Dennis Praet (free) and the veteran Albrighton, who spent a decade at the club. However, Leicester recorded the definitive arrival of winger Fatawu (6 goals, 13 assists, Sporting), who has already distinguished himself against Spurs, and recovered the talented left back Kristiansen after his loan to Bologna. New signings like central defender Okoli (Atalanta) and winger De Cordova-Reid (Fulham) also joined the Foxes this summer. More recently, the young Argentine midfielder Buonanotte (Brighton) signed and will be positioned behind the striker. Despite his 37 years, Jamie Vardy remains as efficient as ever with 18 goals last season, and he scored the only goal against Tottenham on the opening day. It will also be necessary to closely follow Mavididi (12 goals, 6 assists), former Montpellier player, as well as Daka (7 goals, 5 assists), although the latter and defender Coady are absent for this match.