Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri may insist that the Premier League title race is not a straight fight between his side and Tottenham Hotspur but, realistically, the title has gone beyond recall for both Manchester clubs. The Sky Blues trail the Foxes by 12 points and the Red Devils are a further four points behind and, even with a game in hand apiece, will require divine intervention to bridge the gap with just nine Premier League fixtures remaining.

Nevertheless, there’s still the small matter of UEFA Champions League qualification to be decided and Manuel Pelligrini will be keen to increase his side’s advantage over their fiercest rivals, if only for the benefit of the incoming Pep Guardiola. A lacklustre 0-0 with struggling Norwich City at Carrow Road on their last Premier League outing hardly inspires confidence in the Sky Blues, though.

The Red Devils, on the other hand, can point to the dismissal of Juan Mata after 26 minutes as the cause of their 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on their last Premier League outing, but they were diabolical against Liverpool at Anfield in the Europa League and lucky to escape with a draw against West Ham at Old Trafford in the F.A. Cup last Sunday. Louis van Gaal will probably be happy not to lose at the Ehtihad Stadium, so let’s try a bore draw at 10/1 with Bet365.

Selection: 0-0 Draw (10/1 with Bet365)

A return of £72,000 for an outlay of £50 isn’t to be sneezed at under any circumstances, but the anonymous Warwickshire man who cashed out his 5,000/1 bet on Leicester City to win the Premier League on Saturday must be kicking himself after the Foxes’ 1-0 win at Vicarage Road later in the day.

The dream of a first ever Premier League title is very much still alive for Claudio Ranieri’s side, which sits top of the table, five points clear of nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur, with nine games of the season remaining. Next up for the Foxes are 19^th placed Newcastle United and their beleaguered manager Steve McClaren – assuming the former England boss is still in charge – at the King Power Stadium next Monday.

With or without McClaren, the Magpies, who lost the reverse fixture 3-0 in November, look well and truly up against it. The 3-1 defeat against Bournemouth at St. James’s Park last Saturday was their fifth in six games and, while the Foxes are 5/4 to win the Premier League title, the Toon are 8/13 to be playing Championship football next season.

Under the circumstances, a repeat of November’s result wouldn’t be entirely out of the question, so let’s push the boat out a little and try Leicester City to win 3-0 at 13/1 with BetVictor.

Selection: Leicester City to win 3-0 (13/1 with BetVictor)

West Ham haven’t been beaten at home in the Premier League since going down 4-3 to Bournemouth in August, but Slaven Bilic will be thankful for the return of Dimitri Payet, who was absent when his side was beaten 4-1 in the return fixture at White Hart Lane in November. Despite an ankle injury, Payet has scored eight goals in 25 games, while another summer acquisition, Michail Antonio, has scored 5 goals in 15 appearances for the Hammers, who currently lie fifth in the Premier League table, on 43 points.

Spurs lie second, on 51 points, with a game in hand of leaders Leicester City and, after battling back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 against Swansea at White Hart Lane on Saturday, manager Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to keep the pressure on the Foxes. However, England striker Harry Kane currently has a broken nose and played in a face mask against the Swans, while influential midfielder Dele Alli turned an ankle in the warm-up, so there might just be a chink of light for the Hammers.

For all their injury worries, there was no questioning Spurs’ superiority over Swansea so, while it may not be all one-way traffic against the Hammers, let’s go for both teams to score and Tottenham to win at 16/5 with Coral or William Hill.

Selection: Both teams to score and Tottenham to win (16/5 with Coral or William Hill).

Plenty of column inches have been devoted to Leicester City and Claudio Ranieri this season and rightly so. The erstwhile ‘Tinkerman’ and his side continue to defy expectations by hanging on to a lead, albeit narrow, at the top of the Premier League. The 2-1 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on St. Valentine’s Day may have temporarily halted their momentum, but they lost little caste in defeat, finally succumbing to an injury time goal after playing the last 36 minutes with ten men.

With Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham in action in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in midweek, the Foxes have a chance to steal a march on their rivals and consolidate their position at the top of the Premier League by beating Norwich at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Norwich currently lie 17^th in the Premium League, on the same points as 18^th placed Newcastle, but with a marginally superior goal difference. Since a shock victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in December, the Canaries have lost all four away matches in the Premier League, conceding 11 goals and scoring just one.

A routine home win appears to be the most likely result, but 4/7 about the Foxes is unappealing so, granted the Canaries goal drought away from home, let’s try Leicester City to win 2-0 at 8/1 with BetVictor.

Selection: Leicester City to win 2-0 (8/1 with BetVictor)