Leicester City Season Preview: Tough start should show us how much fight these Foxes have

David Nugent should finally get a chance to show what he can do in the top flight

Leicester City dominated the Championship last season and will be confident heading into the Premier League for the first time in ten years. But is their confidence misplaced? Luke Moore investigates...

Last Season

Leicester City are now back in the top-flight for the first time since 2004, and achieved promotion at a canter. Not only did the Foxes bring home 102 points, 17 more than third place, they also broke several club records including going unbeaten from December 14 to April 8 and lost just one game in the entire second half of the season (coincidentally just a few days and one suspects a few sore heads after clinching promotion). 

However, Nigel Pearson knows he's now dealing with a completely different level of football and his management skills will be tested to the limit. 

Ins and Outs

Worryingly for Leicester City fans, there hasn't been an awful lot of activity in the transfer market as yet, possibly because Pearson wants to give the players who won the club promotion a chance to show what they can do. This is admirable, but it is also slightly unrealistic and the Foxes will need to strengthen.

Two players have arrived at the King Power Stadium from Brighton and Hove Albion - Leonardo Ulloa has come in for a big fee, but he has never played in the English top division. Matt Upson will provide Premier League experience at the back and was player of the year for the Seagulls, but he is 35 and there have to be question marks over his ability to cut it at the top level in 2014-15.

Zak Whitbread and Neil Danns, neither of whom featured much last season due to loan deals at Derby and Bolton respectively have left the club permanently.

Manager

After one or two false starts, Nigel Pearson appears to have found his home at Leicester City. He is approaching three years in charge in his second stint at the helm and guided a hard-working, impressive side to promotion fairly easily. He knows this is where the hard work starts though and this is going to be a dogfight for him and his team. Realistically, up to 11 sides could be battling against relegation this season and he needs to make sure his side aren't down there in May. But Pearson's earned the right to manage in the top flight, and it's only fair he now gets the entire season to show what he can do.

Expectations

Safety. That is the only thing that matters to a new team in the Premier League these days, and plenty of clubs have shown before now that it can be done. The modern Premier League is a three-tiered division made up of the top six, three or four clubs below them and then a free-for-all where no team is safe from the trapdoor. There's no reason Leicester can't stay up, but they'll need to strengthen at the back and hope their strikers can hit the ground running. David Nugent has Premier League ability if he can maintain his fitness and confidence and the rapido-quick Jamie Vardy hasn't found a level beyond him yet as his career has taken him up the leagues. The aforementioned Ulloa must show what he can do from the outset, also. His game at first glance seems to suit the top flight, and he is powerful in the air. If he gets the service he can prosper.

It'll be tough, but goals give you a chance of safety and so does a good start. Leicester's first three games? Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal. Oh. Welcome to big school.

Best Bet

While Leicester can of course stay up if things go well for them and they start hitting the back of the net, their price to be relegated is actually pretty tempting. Usually we see the three promoted teams go straight to odds-on in the relegation market, but the Foxes have drifted all the way out to 3.613/5 - quite chunky given their opening three fixtures. It's not as though it gets any easier for them after that either, they start September away at Stoke before entertaining Manchester United at home. That 3.613/5 might start to look very long indeed come the autumn.

Value Bet

With Leicester's opening five fixtures looking so tough, it is a remarkable set of affairs to see their price in the Bottom at Christmas market at around 8.07/1 at the time of writing. My advice would be to back that now, and Cash Out around the middle of September where the odds are likely to have tumbled.