Tottenham Hotspur vs Leicester City: Premier League preview
Premier League action returns to N17 on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur host Leicester City, with the Lilywhites finally hoping to end their winless drought.
So, back to where it all began – Spurs played their first game of the season against Leicester. Hopefully, this is also the beginning of something new. After a much-needed win in the Europa League, Spurs shift focus back to their dreadful Premier League form, eager to climb the table.
What time does Tottenham vs Leicester City kick off?
- Location: London, England
- Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Date: Sunday, 26th January 2025
- Kick-off Time: 2 pm BST
- Referee: Robert Jones
- VAR: Chris Kavanagh
How both teams go into Tottenham v Leicester City
Spurs come into this match after a narrow 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League. However, their domestic form remains woeful, with no Premier League victories in 2025 and six consecutive winless games before this fixture. Back-to-back losses in the North London Derby and against Everton have left fans desperate for a turnaround.
If there’s a team that’s been poorer than Spurs in recent weeks, it’s Leicester. And when your form is being compared to Spurs’ current run, you know things aren’t looking good.
Since Ruud van Nistelrooy took over, the Foxes have won just twice, only one of which was in the league. They’ve lost their last seven Premier League matches and haven’t secured a league win since early December. Most recently, Leicester fell to Crystal Palace and Fulham, despite a 6-2 FA Cup victory over QPR.
Both teams desperately need points, but Leicester’s dire form gives Spurs fans some hope of a much-needed league win.
Tottenham Team News
It just keeps getting worse. Even if Postecoglou manages to somehow find 11 players to play an actual game of football, he doesn’t have anyone he can rely on from the bench apart from a bunch of inexperienced teenagers who are probably missing out on school to support a club that’s going through one of its worst injury crises.
Spurs now have 11 players sidelined, including big names like Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Yves Bissouma. The latest casualties, Pape Matar Sarr and Djed Spence, are listed as doubtful, with further updates expected closer to kick-off.
Romero was spotted in training, but it’s unlikely he’ll feature. Fans were eagerly anticipating a rematch with Jamie Vardy after their fiery clash in the season opener, but it seems that rivalry will have to wait.
Leicester Team News
Leicester have relatively fewer injury concerns. Abdul Fatawu and Ricardo Pereira are confirmed absentees, while Mads Hermansen and Wilfred Ndidi remain doubtful.
Predicted Tottenham Line-Up
With the available players, Ange doesn’t have too many choices for his starting XI:
Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.
Our Tottenham vs Leicester prediction
Van Nistelrooy is yet to deliver something special for Leicester. His tactics have been hard to figure out in recent games, and the team’s statistical performance has been very poor. Leicester have managed just one clean sheet all season and rank 18th in expected goals (xG).
However, we’ve seen several times that predicting the style of a Dutch manager is never straightforward. Either we’ll witness a tactical masterclass from Van Nistelrooy, or Spurs will absolutely demolish Leicester. It’s hard to see anything in between happening.
The reverse fixture saw a 1-1 draw in what was a fiery season opener for both sides. Back then, Leicester were managed by Steve Cooper, but with Ruud van Nistelrooy now in charge, expectations have shifted.
Leicester’s defence looks anything but organised, and while they often pack the box, it hasn’t stopped them from leaking goals. On the attacking front, they’ve scored just one goal in their last four league games, with Vardy missing a few clear chances.
Key players for Leicester include Harry Winks, who boasts an impressive 89.2% passing accuracy, and Olivier Skipp, who might have a point to prove against his former side.
For Spurs, Djed Spence could be pivotal if available. In his last Premier League outing, he completed nine successful dribbles and won 16 duels—astonishing stats for a full-back. If Spence is unavailable, 17-year-old Mikey Moore, with two assists in his last two games, could be one to watch.
An interesting fact to leave you with: Spurs have won just nine Premier League games in the last nine months, averaging one win per month. Fans will be hoping this match marks the start of better times ahead.
Predicted Score: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Leicester City
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