Monday Night Football returned with a bang last week as Burnley battered Luton and another high-scoring thriller is on the cards when Leicester begin their return to the Premier League with a primetime match against Tottenham.
The Foxes, who will be playing their first competitive match under the direction of former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper, might have a difficult start because the preseason has not gone as expected.
They lost without scoring against Palermo, Augsburg, and Lens after defeating Villarreal and Shrewsbury in their opening two warm-up matches. Meanwhile, striker Patson Daka had an ankle injury that required surgery and kept him out of the game for three months.
Veteran marksman Jamie Vardy is also out through injury along with experienced defender Conor Coady which leaves Leicester light on numbers compared to Tottenham, who will field a strong side despite the internal one-match ban handed to Yves Bissouma for posing a video of himself apparently inhaling laughing gas.
The addition of Dominic Solanke improves Spurs’ attacking options no end and crucially allows Heung-Min Son to play in his favoured position, cutting in from the left – a danger well-known to the Foxes as the free-scoring South Korea international has scored nine times against them while adding four assists.
Son is 5/1 with BetMGM to break the deadlock and 7/5 with the same firm to score at any time.
With Dejan Kulusevski likely to start and Richarlison, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and new signing Wilson Odobert all primed to be involved at some stage, it looks like being a long night for Leicester who will welcome their former midfielder James Maddison back to the King Power Stadium for the first time since he was sold to Spurs last summer.
The England international suffered a significant drop in form after a receiving a long-term injury in the 4-1 home defeat to Chelsea last November but can use the big occasion as a launchpad back to top form and he is 9/2 with Sky Bet to score at any time.
Over 3.5 goals is 13/10 with bet365 and a 3-1 win for Tottenham is 12/1 with the same firm and William Hill.
- The Flat racing season continues this week with the Ebor Festival at York, and Aidan O’Brien can capture the Great Voltigeur Stakes with Los Angeles at 6/5 with William Hill and the Juddmonte International with City of Troy at 4/5 with the same firm. Stick them in a 3/1 double.
- Not long now to the new NFL season and elite quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the 2/1 favourite with BetMGM to be the comeback player of the year after making just four snaps before rupturing his left ankle in his first game with the New York Jets and missing the rest of the season.
He should put up some big numbers in terms of passing yards and touchdowns but may be surpassed by Cincinnati Bengals opposite number Joe Burrow, who can exceed those stats and win the award at 3/1 with the same firm.