Our picks

Leicester City vs Manchester City: 03/04/2021 – match preview and predicted starting XIs

Leicester City vs Manchester City

Date: 03/04/2021

K/O: 17:30

Venue: King Power Stadium

Referee: Paul Tierney 

TV: Sky Sports

Manchester City have a chance for revenge when they play Leicester City this weekend, with the reverse fixture producing one of the biggest upsets this Premier League season.

Last time out, Leicester City pounced on Manchester City’s early-season anxiety and raced to a 5-2 win away at the Etihad, putting Guardiola’s team to shame and laying down a marker for this season. In the six months since the Citizens have transformed themselves from vulnerable to invincible and now seem to be walking away with the league. Leicester themselves have maintained their consistent form, remaining the only team to have been in the top four all season. But if they want to keep this record up, and avoid another late-season collapse, they will need a strong display against a Manchester City team that will be looking to trounce them.

Leicester using this season as a springboard to title contention

Last year, a post-lockdown collapse from Leicester City led many to believe that their own and only shot at grasping a place in the top four had been frivolously wasted. Coming into this season, there was little to no belief outside of Leicester fan circles that the side could repeat the fears of 19/20. But things all changed at the end of September when a rousing victory of Manchester City put the Foxes on the map again and signaled to the rest of the league that Leicester were here to stay.

And stayed, they have. Leicester remain the only team to have held a place in the top four all season and are also the only side to beat all of the “top-six” sides in a single season. This is the record that is most impressive. Last year, the Foxes struggled to find points when coming up against rivals for their places: showcased by a painful defeat to Manchester United on the final day. But this season they seem to have no trouble at all.

Inconsistencies remain, of course, but Brendan Rodgers is building a footballing machine and it has taken time for all of those parts to come together. Finally, assembly is almost finished and the time for their full potential has arrived. The first showcase of this machine was that emphatic FA Cup win before the international break, pummelling Manchester United in a footballing masterclass.

Yet sterner challenges lie in wait for Leicester City, notably this upcoming game against Manchester City, the entirety of their run-in, and an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton. This might all look scary on the face of it, but Rodgers’ side will be up for the challenge. They know just how good they are, and what the future has in store for them. This year, the top four, next year – a fight for the title.

History-makers in the making – but a balancing act awaits.

The quadruple is rarely spoken of and always downplayed. But for this Manchester City team, every single victory brings it even closer to reality. The league cup, which Guardiola has won for the last three years in a row, is now within grasp – the final to be played on the 25th of April. They are in the FA Cup semi-final, although have a relatively difficult tie against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, and their Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund should be pretty easily dealt with by Guardiola’s side.

The league, of course, is effectively in their own hands. With a 14 point lead and only nine games left, it will not be long before it becomes mathematically impossible for other sides to reach the citizens. With this competition already tied up, the question of whether Guardiola should devote his full attention and resources elsewhere now springs up.

The Champions League quarterfinals begin on Tuesday, with Manchester City involved in a tie against a struggling Borussia Dortmund. Guardiola will have this trophy placed higher in his priorities than all others, as it remains the only one he has not won as manager of Manchester City. It is possible, then, that with many of his stars returning from international duty, that Guardiola plays a rotated squad in order to accommodate what might be considered the “more important” game. But doing this puts them in danger of losing to Leicester, and losing some of the momentum they have accumulated in the league.

This is the great balancing game that Guardiola now has to deal with – trying to prioritise games and competitions in order to find the best outcome for his silverware. He has had two attempts before at the quadruple: will he manage it on his third, or will he have to wait?

Team News

Leicester

Leicester will welcome the news that both James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira are available for their clash with Manchester City, although Brendan Rodgers did not that the former was not 100% match fit and we should therefore not expect him to start. Harvey Barnes will play a part at the end of the season, but is not ready yet, while James Justin also continues his recovery.

Manchester City

City have no new injuries that we are aware of after the international break. Although Pep Guardiola’s Friday press conference could upset this status quo with potential surprises, he is not expected to announce anything out of the ordinary and City go into this final period with a full-strength squad.

Predicted starting XIs

Leicester City (3-4-1-2): Schmeichel; Fofana, Evans, Soyuncu; Ricardo, Ndidi, Tielemans, Castagne; Ayoze Perez; Vardy, Iheanacho

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Ruben Dias, Stones, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling

Predicted Scoreline: Leicester 2-2 Manchester City

I believe that, even if he does not play a changed squad, Guardiola will be hesitant to play with full intensity against Leicester with the Champions League tie coming up. With Leicester at good strength, and City holding back, I can see the game ending as a draw.

90MAAT News Now

Premier League Table

90MAAT Social Media

ScoopDragon Football News Network

Search The Site