Monday night football returns for the first time in the 2021/22 Premier League season as West Ham United host Leicester City at the London Stadium.
Both sides made a winning start to the new campaign last weekend, with the Hammers beating Newcastle United 4-2 and the Foxes edging out Wolves 1-0.
One minute and four seconds of full-time scenes. We can't wait to see you all next Monday at London Stadium 🙌🎟➡️ https://t.co/a2UvLIcVYa pic.twitter.com/Da1sdaHIcx— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 16, 2021
One minute and four seconds of full-time scenes. We can't wait to see you all next Monday at London Stadium 🙌🎟➡️ https://t.co/a2UvLIcVYa pic.twitter.com/Da1sdaHIcx
As a result, fourth-place West Ham find themselves just ahead of ninth-place Leicester on goal difference.
The Hammers came from behind on two occasions to get the better of Newcastle at St. James’ Park last time out.
Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma both bagged a goal and an assist, while Aaron Creswell and Tomas Soucek also got on the scoresheet.
Following on from an impressive 2020/21 campaign, David Moyes’ men have now won each of their last three Premier League games by two or more goals.
West Ham secured a hugely impressive sixth-place finish last term, ending up just two points outside the Champions League spots.
If they can pick up where they left off in the previous campaign, the Hammers will once again be a forced to be reckoned with this season.
Leicester finished one place and one point ahead of West Ham last season, missing out on Champions League qualification by just a single point.
The Foxes kicked off the new campaign with a win last weekend, getting the better of Wolves on home soil.
Brendan Rodgers’ side enjoyed 57% possession and chalked up nine shots last time out, with veteran striker Jamie Vardy netting the only goal of the game.
Leicester have only lost two of their last 14 away games in the Premier League, with both teams scoring in half of those matches.
It is also worth pointing out that Rodgers’ men have scored at least one goal in each of their previous nine league outings.
Head-to-head: West Ham did the double over Leicester last term, winning 3-0 away before sealing a 3-2 victory on home soil in the reverse fixture.
However, the Hammers have only managed to win two of their previous six meetings with Leicester – recording two draws and two defeats along the way.
Team news: West Ham only have one injury concern at the moment, with Arthur Musuaku on the sidelines with a knee problem.
As for Leicester, they will be without Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne, Ryan Bertrand, James Justin, Wesley Fofana and Nampalys Mendy on Monday.
Although both sides started the new season with a win last weekend, West Ham’s recent record against Leicester is difficult to ignore.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that West Ham will edge out Leicester on Monday, with over 2.5 match goals expected.