Relegation strugglers Leicester travel to the English capital to take on West Ham in the Premier League on Thursday, and we’ve got the latest team news and confirmed lineups included alongside a prediction in our preview.
West Ham vs Leicester Preview
Ruud van Nistelrooy and his struggling Leicester City side head to the London Stadium to take on West Ham in the Premier League on Thursday evening, with just 13 points and three positions separating the pair in the table.
The Foxes, set for immediate demotion back down to the Championship, occupy 19th place heading into Gameweek 27, five points adrift of safety after losing four consecutive matches across all competitions.
Last time out, they suffered a brutal 4-0 home defeat to Brentford, meaning they have now failed to score a goal in five of their last six league matches. Prior to their loss to the Bees, they were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal and 4-0 by Everton. Sandwiched between those two results, they were also eliminated from the FA Cup by Manchester United.
The Foxes are in town on Thursday night 🦊 pic.twitter.com/Q7gmkeeUPo
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 25, 2025
As for the Hammers, they are currently in 16th place and come into this one off the back of a shock win over Arsenal on Saturday. Graham Potter’s side claimed a 1-0 victory over the Gunners, with star man Jarrod Bowen grabbing the goal.
That result ended a four-game winless run in the league, as they had lost to Brentford, Chelsea and Crystal Palace and drawn to Aston Villa in the fixtures that preceded the trip to the Emirates.
The reverse fixture, a Gameweek 14 meeting at the King Power in early December, was one of Leicester‘s four league victories this term. It ended 3-1 in favour of East Midlands-based outfit, courtesy of goals from Jamie Vardy, Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka. Perhaps surprisingly, the Foxes are unbeaten in four straight matches against West Ham.
West Ham Team News
The Hammers remain without long-term absentees Michail Antonio and Crysencio Summerville (thigh), and while Vladimir Coufal (thigh) and Lucas Paqueta (ankle) are nearing returns, the pair are ruled out for Leicester’s visit.
Germany international striker Niclas Fullkrug is also out with a thigh issue.
18-year-old Oliver Scarles, who made his full Premier League debut last time out, could be in line for a second successive start after impressing in the win over Arsenal.
Leicester Team News
As for the Foxes, Abdul Fatawu (knee) is out for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign, and Ricardo Pereira (thigh) is also unavailable.
James Justin (foot) and Caleb Okoli (knock) are doubts too, with the pair facing late fitness tests ahead of the match.
Van Nistelrooy confirmed Justin’s injury in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, revealing that the club are ‘doing everything they can’ to get him fit for Thursday’s clash.
West Ham vs Leicester Confirmed Lineups
West Ham Lineup:
Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell; Wan-Bissaka, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Soucek, Scarles; Kudus, Bowen
Leicester Lineup:
Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Soumare; Buonanotte, El Khannous, De Cordova-Reid; Vardy
West Ham vs Leicester Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites heavily favour the Hammers to secure all three points in East London on Thursday at around 8/13, while a draw is rated at around 16/5 and a Leicester victory is priced at around 4/1.
This comes as little to no surprise given the pair’s respective results at the weekend, with West Ham claiming a mighty victory over Arsenal on the road, as the Foxes were thumped by Brentford on home turf.
We at SportsCasting expect the hosts to build on Saturday’s positive showing with a victory to round off Gameweek 27 and are predicting that the visitors will extend their goalless run in the league to four straight matches.
Prediction: West Ham 2-0 Leicester
