Derby v Leicester: Go Low at Pride Park

 

Andy Tongue thinks goals will be at a premium in the East Midlands derby between two sides struggling for form...

 

Derby v Leicester

Saturday 16th March

17:20 GMT

Live on Sky Sports Two

 

Leicester are once again Sky's pick for the Saturday evening televised game with the focus on their faltering promotion challenge as they visit East Midlands rivals Derby, who have stumbled lately too and are not able to start planning for next season just yet.

 

Derby

 

Nigel Clough's young side are on a run of eight games without a win as the gruelling Championship schedule seems to have taken its toll and ended any hopes of a late run for the play-off spots. They need at least one more win to ensure they don't get dragged into the relegation melee but a strong home record, just three defeats at Pride Park all season, should see them okay. Striker Jamie Ward has ten goals in 16 starts but nobody else in the side has managed more than seven as the free-flowing attacking football from earlier in the season has dried up.

 

Leicester

 

The wheels have come off the Foxes' promotion push lately with just one win in the last eight matches seeing them slip from contenders for an automatic place to now in danger of missing out on the play-offs altogether with the third East Midlands outfit Nottingham Forest coming good at the right time. One clean sheet in eleven represents a marked defensive deterioration from what was their real strength earlier in the season. However, in Chris Wood, they still have the division's top striker who poses a real threat to opposition defences and Tuesday's draw at leaders Cardiff, where they were only denied by an injury time equaliser, was a marked step up on previous performances.

 

Both Teams to Score

 

The Rams have failed to find the net in two of their last three home games and, despite the presence of Wood, Leicester haven't scored in two of their last four matches. With that in mind, laying both teams to score at 1.86 looks the way forward in this one.

 

Over/Under 2.5 goals

 

On a similar note, backing under 2.5 goals would have paid out in each of Derby's last three home games so I'm happy to back that at 1.87.

 

Recommended Bets

Lay both teams to score at 1.9

Back under 2.5 goals at 1.87

 

Bet HERE

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