Manchester City vs Leicester City
Date: 21/12/2019
K/O: 17:30
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Referee: Mike Dean
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
The Foxes visit the Etihad Stadium for contesting the late kick-off fixture on Saturday evening and will be looking to bounce back from the 1-1 draw against Norwich City last week.
It’s a huge testament to the side Brendan Rodgers has that simply a draw warrants a ‘bounce back’ to form. In a similar mood, Pep Guardiola will be keen to deny Rodgers a potential seven-point edge over his Fourmidables, and will instead be hell-bent on reducing it down to a solitary point.
Both sides have put on exceptional attacking displays over the course of the season. While Leicester have been quite clinical with what they create, Manchester City have created leaps and bounds but failed to convert them to goals. It sets the tone for a very interesting match-up at the Etihad, with perhaps the braver of the sides edging what promises to be a very well contested battle.
Saturday starts a vital phase for Leicester City, and indeed their title hopes. Taking on third-placed Manchester City this weekend, and runaway leaders Liverpool in their next fixture, two losses could be quite a blow for them, but on the other hand, two wins will certainly reinvigorate the title race once more.
A very interesting narrative emerged from the last meeting between these two sides. Vincent Kompany memorably scored a rocket of a long shot amid “No Vinny no!” cries from his teammates, who wanted him to pick a pass instead. That win all but confirmed that City would indeed retain their Premier League crown and that against all odds, Liverpool’s 97 points would not be sufficient to capture the title. While the present season is still very much in its infancy (as compared to the penultimate game last time), a victory on Saturday would be a huge boost for the victor.
Match Facts and Stats
Leicester City have lost their last three away games to Manchester City
A victory against Leicester would make Man City only the 2nd side in Premier League history to reach a landmark 250 Premier League wins in a decade (after Man United, who got 255)
Manchester City haven’t lost consecutive home league games under Pep Guardiola, a record Brendan Rodgers will be very keen to break
Leicester have won their last four away league games by an aggregate margin of 1-17. They have never previously won five in a row
Team News
Manchester City
Mikel Arteta has left Pep Guardiola’s side and the Citizens will be without an assistant manager for the time being. Dominic Torrent’s name was thrown into the mix as a potential replacement, as was Rodolfo Borrell, with the latter a more realistic replacement.
On the injuries front, Sergio Aguero returned to training earlier this week, so he could see some minutes on the pitch as Guardiola looks to ease him back into the squad. David Silva likewise is on his way back to full fitness but is unlikely to feature for more than 20 minutes against Leicester, if at all. Oleksandr Zinchenko is also looking for match sharpness, after making a full recovery from his knee injury. John Stones has also returned to training after sustaining an injury in the Manchester Derby, so the signs are encouraging for City as they look to end the year on a high.
Leicester City
Matty James is the only player out injured for the Foxes, but there are several capable deputies. The remainder of the Leicester squad remains available to be called upon by Brendan Rodgers.
Predicted Starting XIs
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Benjamin Mendy; Rodri, Gundogan; Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling; Gabriel Jesus
Leicester City (4-5-1): Schmeichel; Ricardo Pereira, Soyuncu, Evans, Chilwell; Perez, Tielemans, Ndidi, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy
Predicted Scoreline: Manchester City 3-2 Leicester City
While I feel that Leicester City will be all fired up and get at least a point from their visit, I do keep in the back of my mind that it’s the Etihad that they are visiting. The home advantage and the backing of the crowd may just prove to be the marginal difference between the sides that pushes City over the line. We should expect to see an enthralling, high tempo game from minute 0 to 90, and ultimately the more clinical of the sides should see themselves through with the three points.
