Highlights: Hull City 2 – 1 Leicester City [Premier League]

 Read and Download Highlights: Hull City 2 – 1 Leicester City [Premier League]

 

The Tigers face the Foxes in the opening match of the new Premier League season and our tipster is backing Claudio Ranieri's charges to open their campaign with victory

Hopes and fears will begin to be realised this weekend when the new Premier League season gets underway and the curtain raises on the campaign when champions Leicester City begin the defence of their title with a trip to take on newly promoted Hull City at the KCOM Stadium.

Claudio Ranieri’s men defied the odds time and time again last season on their way to a historic first Premier League title and it will be fascinating to see how the Foxes cope with the weight of expectation on their shoulders this time around.

Leicester were losers at Wembley last weekend, beaten by Manchester United in the Community Shield, but the visitors are chalked up as Paddy Power’s even money (2.0) favourites to get back to winning ways in the first fixture of the Premier League season.

New Paddy Power customers who feel the Foxes are worthy of support can take a huge price of 7/1 on the favourites. To take advantage of this offer simply sign up using the link provided, place your first wager on Ranieri's side at the usual price and if they win then the returns will be topped up to the enhanced value.

That looks to be a solid selection, for Hull are in disarray following a disastrous summer; the loss of Mohamed Diame, who scored the winning goal for his side in last season’s Championship play-off final at Wembley, and manager Steve Bruce, the most successful boss in the club’s history, would have been tough enough to bear in any circumstances.

However, Hull’s misery has been compounded with injuries to a number of key players and a lack of recruitment this summer – and, as such, caretaker boss Mike Phelan has a heavily depleted squad to choose from ahead of this curtain-raising clash.

The hosts can go some way to lifting the gloom surrounding the club with a win against the champions and Paddy Power offer 3/1 (4.0) that the Tigers take the points, while the odds compilers offer 11/5 (3.20) that Saturday’s match ends in stalemate.

The loss of midfielder N’Golo Kante is, unquestionably, a big blow to Leicester’s ambitions for the forthcoming campaign, but Ranieri will have been heartened by the fact his side have managed to retain the nucleus of their title-winning squad with top scorer Jamie Vardy and mercurial midfielder Riyad Mahrez likely to lead the charge.

Each of Leicester’s last five matches on the road in the Premier League last season featured fewer than three goals and Paddy Power offer just 4/7 (1.57) that the trend continues in this match, while the Midlands-based outfit, who have not conceded in any of their last three league meetings against Hull, are available at an appealing 13/10 (2.30) to keep a clean sheet.

Whether or not Leicester are capable of repeating last season’s heroics remains to be seen, but Ranieri’s men are certainly good value at Paddy Power’s generous quote of even money (2.0) to open their campaign with a win against the beleaguered hosts and it is this price that is the recommended play for punters.

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