19th Sep 2015 | Premier League
Fox Catchers
Both teams are in totally false positions which can be explained upon closer inspection. Expect the Potters to get back on track.
We’re at that stage of the season where league positions can be very false and there may be extenuating circumstances worth considering.
Perhaps the most obvious factor which means all things aren’t equal is the fixture list. Leicester have flown into second place but they’ve had close to the kindest start imaginable.
Sunderland (h), West Ham (a), Spurs (h), Bournemouth (a), Villa (h).
Compare that to Stoke City who have so far faced the following:
Liverpool (h), Spurs (a), Norwich (a), WBA (h), Arsenal (a)
Not only have have the Potters played one home match fewer, and against generally better teams, they also struggled with 9 men for the majority of the match against West Brom.
Mark Hughes’s boys have finished 9th two seasons running and we shouldn’t assume they have become a bad team overnight. Indeed the squad is arguably improved from the one that beat Liverpool 6-1 on the final day of last term!
Meanwhile, the Foxes have been boosted by scoring from a frankly unsustainable 46% of their shots on target.
Expect this fixture to revert to pre-season expectations. Stoke are well priced to take all three points.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 03:23 19th Sep, 2015 but subject to change
