Leicester vs Coventry prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-08-05 11:00.
Despite just two defeats in their last seven Premier League (PL) games last season, Leicester City’s nine-year stay in the top flight came to an end, in turn becoming only the second club to have won the PL (in 2015/16) and subsequently been relegated (after Blackburn Rovers). Gunning for an immediate return to the top tier they have brought in Enzo Maresca as manager, who has overseen a large turnover of players at the King Power Stadium during the close season with big names such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans departing, while Harry Winks and Conor Coady have joined the club, bringing with them international experience.
Maresca was one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants at Manchester City during their treble winning season last year, and he will be hoping to bring those high standards to the Foxes in what will be only his second managerial role. He’ll be desperate for a fast start and their last stint in this division offers some hope, with Leicester winning their last three Championship season openers, including a 1-0 victory over Coventry City in 2011.
Coventry defied expectations and went all the way to the Championship play-off final last season only to suffer heartbreak on penalties as they lost 6-5 to Luton Town. Manager Mark Robins will have a tough job replicating last year’s fifth place finish, particularly after losing striker Viktor Gyökeres who contributed to 31 (G21, A10) of Coventry’s 58 league goals, although Robins will hope that the addition of Ellis Simms from Everton will help negate that loss.
Chasing a return to the top flight after a more than 20-year absence, Coventry will be looking to improve on last season’s awful start which saw them winless until early October! Yet away fans might make the short trip down the M69 fearing another poor start, as they’ve only won one of their last 16 league clashes with Leicester, and are yet to taste success at this stadium (D2, L6).
Players to watch: 26-year-old striker Kelechi Iheanacho has never played below PL level and contributed to 70 goals (G42, A28) across his 196 appearances, with four of his five goals last season coming in the first half of games. Simms got off to a flying start last season on loan at Sunderland with two goals in his first game before scoring in four of his last six appearances at Championship level.
Hot stat: Coventry haven't won an away fixture on the opening weekend of a league season since 2007!