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Optimists may find over-priced Leicester too good to ignore

| 13.09.2016

One win from the opening four games of their Premier League title defence isn’t exactly the sign of a successful season ahead for Leicester City, but their slow start may mean they’re now over-priced for a solid campaign.

Handed pre-season odds of 2/1 for a top-six finish, punters can now get Claudio Ranieri’s side to bag a European-qualifying spot at the massively inflated 11/2.

Admittedly they were well beaten 4-1 by Liverpool at the weekend, but this Leicester side just need to find their groove.

They’re currently 16th in the table, but it should be noted that Arsenal also conceded four against Jurgen Klopp’s rampaging Reds, while the surprise opening-day loss to Hull was the type of result seen time and time again when newly-promoted teams begin a Premier League season.

N’Golo Kante proved to be the only loss of the summer, and with a number of well-regarded signings, including Ahmed Musa and Islam Slimani, on paper the Foxes’ squad is substantially stronger than the one which defied odds of 5000/1 last season.

Granted some of that increased depth is to cope with a first foray into the Champions League, but as the new players settle into their roles at the east Midlands club, results should come too.

The buzz of European football could also be a motivator for Jamie Vardy and co, with Leicester opening their campaign this week with a very winnable tie at Club Brugge.

There’s no doubting that the regulars for the top-four have improved their squads substantially, but it would be short-sighted to write off Leicester for a top-six challenge so early on.

After all, they were written off time and time again last season, and look what happened…

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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Author

Richard Marsh

Richard loves his sport, especially if it involves the sound of tyres screaming around a race track. He's not fussy though and his '90s Premier League nostalgia and knowledge of team nicknames is tough to match.