Golden Boot odds: Salah and Kane in two-horse race
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The battle between Leicester, Chelsea and Liverpool for the remaining Champions League spots is developing into an exciting one and it’s the same for the Golden Boot which now looks to be a straight fight between Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane.
Salah has scored 22 goals and is the 4/7 favourite to be crowned the Premier League’s top scorer but Kane has the same number with two games remaining.
Even Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes isn’t totally out of the equation, so let’s look at the Golden Boot odds with the season coming to a conclusion.
Mohamed Salah
Salah is bidding to claim the Golden Boot for a third time in four seasons and Liverpool’s run-in suggests he could be the man to win it once again.
The Egyptian scored 32 goals in the 2017-18 season and a year later shared the award with Reds team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with 22, the same as his current total.
Liverpool face Burnley and Crystal Palace in their final two games which certainly looks easier on paper than Tottenham’s run-in but Salah’s only goal against the Clarets in six appearances – two of which were as a substitute – came way back in 2017.
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) April 27, 2021
However, Burnley conceded four goals against Leeds at the weekend so Salah could fill his boots at Turf Moor – just like Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Salah’s record against Palace, though, is impressive having scored six goals in as many appearances, including a double as a second-half substitute in this season’s 7-0 rout at Selhurst Park.
Three goals in his last four games tells us Salah is in no mood to let Kane steal a march on his bid to win the Golden Boot.
Harry Kane
Kane also has 22 goals but Tottenham’s final two games look much tougher than Liverpool’s with Aston Villa and Leicester the opposition in the final week of the season.
The Foxes, of course, are still in the running for a Champions League place and will be determined not to let it slip through their fingers as they did last season when they lost to Manchester United on the final day.
Kane is 5/4 in the Golden Boot odds as he looks to win the award for a third time and his record against Wednesday’s opponents means he is still in with a chance.
Proper performance. Good win. Two left to finish strong. pic.twitter.com/lR1oLEbiRm
— Harry Kane (@HKane) May 16, 2021
The England skipper has scored six goals in his last four appearances against Villa, including a late double in last season’s fixture.
Kane failed to score in a 2-0 defeat at home to Leicester in December but he struck three times against them last season and in the 2017-18 campaign but those performances pale into insignificance compared with exactly four years ago when he scored four in a 6-1 win at the King Power Stadium.
The Spurs striker ended a three-game scoreless run with the opener in a 2-0 victory against Wolves having hit the post earlier, so the Golden Boot race is far from over.
Bruno Fernandes
The Portugal star has 18 goals so he will need to score at least one hat-trick in his last two games if he is to overhaul Salah and Kane.
Fernandes is 40/1 in the Golden Boot odds and has yet to score a treble, although he has bagged a handful of doubles.
Should he score twice against both Fulham and Wolves it is unlikely either Salah and Kane will fire blanks this week but having failed to score against either team in two seasons, the advantage remains with the men from Liverpool and Spurs.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
