All articles by: Elliott Jackson

Sunderland vs Derby County – Match Preview

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Sunderland vs Derby County – Match Preview – The Football League is back! This weekend marks the return of the Championship, alongside League One and Two. The opening game of the football league season comes from the Stadium of Light, as recently relegated Sunderland take on Derby County. The game will be live on Sky Sports this Friday night as both teams look to bounce back from last season’s disappointments.

Sunderland make their return to the second tier for the first time in ten years, as they face off against Gary Rowett’s new look Derby side. The match will see the debut of new Black Cats boss Simon Grayson, as he enters his new home dug out for the first time.

Sunderland are a club in turmoil. After finishing bottom of the Premier League last season, David Moyes resigned from his role as manager. The club were then turned down by Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes, before they eventually appointed Grayson as manager. The club are short of funds, with chairman Ellis Short trying to sell the club.

James Vaughan signs from Bury Photo Credit: chroniclelive.co.uk

In the transfer market, they have brought in six new additions. Winger Aiden McGeady, who impressed on loan at Preston last season, has been re-united with his former manager Grayson as they picked him up from Everton. They have also bolstered their attacking options by bringing in James Vaughan and Lewis Grabban, after Jermain Defoe left to join Bournemouth.

Tom Huddlestone signs for Derby Photo Credit: derbytelegraph.co.uk

Derby’s side is very much a work in progress. Gary Rowett’s first window has seen huge changes for the Rams’, with star men Will Hughes and Tom Ince leaving the club. Rowett appears to be looking to build a tighter knit, experienced group, and has added Hull City duo Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone to their ranks.

The club have also had a 7 million pound bid for Leicester City playmaker Tom Lawrence rejected. The Welshman impressed on loan at Ipswich last year, and would fill the void left by Ince’s departure.

These two clubs meet for the first time since 2008. Sunderland haven’t lost against Derby since 2001, remaining unbeaten in their last 10 outings. In those ten games, they have won six and drawn four. Derby haven’t won at the Stadium of Light since 1990, a record that stretches back 27 years.

Games between these two sides have always been tight. The last 13 fixtures have been separated by no more than a one goal margin, with only 23 goals coming in that time. In what is bound to be a cagey opener, I think a draw might very well be on the cards.

 

SKYBET: Winning margin (Sunderland by one goal)- 3/1

SKYBET: Correct Score Group Betting – 1-1, 2-2 or 3-3 Draw – 100/30

SKYBET: McGeady to score first and Sunderland to win 1-0- 40/1

SKYBET: Both teams to score and Sunderland to win- 7/2

Leicester City vs Liverpool – Match Preview

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Leicester City vs Liverpool – Match Preview – Craig Shakespeare’s Leicester take on Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in Saturday’s final, after both teams saw off Premier League opposition in this year’s Premier League Asia Trophy. The final starts at 20:30 in Hong Kong, 13:30 BST.

Leicester beat West Brom on their way to the final, coming out 7-6 winners in a penalty shoot-out. The game finished 1-1 in normal time, which saw new Albion signing Jay Rodriguez hit the net while a Riyad Mahrez strike helped Leicester level the match up.

Riyad Mahrez scored in the win over West Brom in the Semi Finals Photo Credit: skysports.com

Mahrez again proved how vital he is to Leicester, and showed why they are so reluctant to let him leave with a tidy finish from outside the area. The club are believed to have rejected a bid in the region of £20 million for the Algerian, after he submitted a transfer request back in May.

Leicester have added Hull City stopper Eldin Jakupovic, who will be good cover for first choice keeper Kasper Schmeichel. Alongside the signings of Harry Maguire and Vicente Iborra, the Foxe’s have had a formidable transfer window and look strong going in to the new season.

Liverpool by contrast dispatched of Frank De Boer’s Crystal Palace side with consummate ease. The Reds came out with a 2-0 win, thanks to goals from new signing Dominic Solanke and Divock Origi. The former Chelsea man could not have wished for a better start with his new club, opening the scoring in the 61st minute on his debut with a great strike.

The last time these two clubs met, the score was 3-1 at the King Power stadium. The match was Leicester’s first since sacking Claudio Ranieri and Liverpool were blown away by the Foxes, with Jamie Vardy scoring a brace. However, the match at Anfield earlier in the season was a different story. Liverpool battered the then Champions of England with a 4-1 victory as they started the season in fantastic fashion.

Daniel Sturridge could lead the line in the Final Photo Credit: skysports.com

Leicester have won only two of the last ten meetings between the two sides, losing six. Their last win at Anfield came back in May 2000, with a 2-0 victory. In recent years, this game has served up a lot of goals, with 29 goals coming between the two sides last ten games.

In the ten matches, six of those games have seen both teams score. Whilst the games also tend to be tight, there has only been two draws between the sides since the turn of the millennium.

 

SKYBET PRICE BOOST: MAHREZ TO SCORE OUTSIDE THE PENALTY AREA- 20/1

SKYBET PRICE BOOST: FIRMINHO TO SCORE AND LIVERPOOL TO WIN IN 90 MINUTES- 3/1

SKYBET: JAMIE VARDY TO SCORE FIRST AND LEICESTER TO WIN 3-1- 170/1

SKYBET: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND OVER 2.5 MATCH GOALS- 11/8

Leicester City vs West Bromwich Albion – Match Preview

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Leicester City vs West Bromwich Albion – Match Preview – New Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare takes on West Brom’s Tony Pulis in the Premier League Asia Trophy, as both teams look to build on last season’s mid-table finishes.

After taking over the then Premier League champions as care-taker manager, Shakespeare guided the Foxes away from relegation and into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Following the upturn in form, he was handed a three-year deal to become permanent manager.

New Leicester City signing Harry Maguire Photo Credit: skysports.com

Since his appointment, the club have pressed on to shape their squad for next season. Having beaten Sevilla in the round of 16 in the Champions League, they picked up their captain Vincente Iborra for a reported £8 million fee. They have also bolstered their defensive ranks, signing Hull City centre back Harry Maguire for £17 million. Whilst speculation mounts over the future of Riyad Mahrez, the only outgoing to date is second choice keeper Ron-Robert Zieler returning to Germany to join Stuttgart.

West Brom have only made one addition to their squad so far, signing former Southampton attacker Jay Rodriguez for £12 million. The club are looking for new recruits however, having bid for Arsenal full-back Kieran Gibbs and offering to take Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma on a season-long loan.

Jay Rodriguez signed for West Brom from Southampton for £12 million Photo Credit: premierleague.com

In the league last season, both teams beat the other away from home. West Brom recorded a 2-1 win at the champions in November, before Jamie Vardy inflicted a 1-0 defeat on the Baggies at the Hawthorns.

In eight of their last ten meetings, both teams have scored in the fixture, with Leicester winning four of those duels. West Brom have won five, and the other was a draw, with the games racking up a total of 35 goals between them.

Those stats show that these clashes are usually tight, with one goal separating the two teams on six of the last ten meetings. Foxes striker Jamie Vardy settled the tie back in April when they last met and the England international has scored three goals in his five meetings against West Brom.

 

SKYBET: LEICESTER TO WIN 2-1 AND VARDY TO SCORE FIRST – 28/1

SKYBET: OVER 2.5 MATCH GOALS AND WEST BROM TO WIN – 7/2

SKYBET: WINNING MARGIN (LEICESTER BY ONE GOAL) – 3/1

SKYBET PRICEBOOST: JAMIE VARDY TO SCORE AND LEICESTER TO WIN IN 90 MINUTES – 100/30

SKYBET CORRECT SCORE GROUP BETTING: 1-1, 2-2 0R 3-3 DRAW – 3/1