Match Preview: Leicester City vs Manchester City (Premier League)

Match Preview: Leicester City vs Manchester City (Premier League)

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This weekend, Manchester City will head to Leicester City looking to keep up their pursuit of Premier League leaders Arsenal. Leicester City has undoubtedly been having a rough season thus far.

After Tuesday's Champions League group stage match against Borussia Dortmund, City's regular season activity resumes on home turf on Saturday.

 

After the Blues clinched a berth in the round of 16 with a draw against Copenhagen on matchday four, whatever points they earned in this match would be seen as a consolation.

 

Despite a first half packed with efforts from Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adyemi and a last-minute try from Nathan Ake, Tuesday's encounter ended in a scoreless stalemate.

 

Erling Haaland, who was playing with a sore foot, was taken out of the midweek game and replaced at halftime.

 

Manchester City's most recent Premier League game was a 3-1 win against Brighton.

 

The aforementioned Haaland was instrumental once again for his team, scoring twice before halftime.

 

In the end, the Seagulls were unable to pull off an upset at the Etihad Stadium despite putting up a valiant effort, thanks to a goal from Belgian international Kevin De Bruyne, who hammered in a pass from beyond the penalty area.

Kevin De Bruyne scores Manchester City's third goal of the game (PA Images/Alamy)

Kevin De Bruyne scores Manchester City's third goal of the game 

Last Saturday's victory put the Citizens within one game of league leaders Arsenal, who had a two-point advantage.

The other team is Leicester City, who have struggled to start the season thus far. They have won only three games.

The 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last week was one of those successes.

Youri Tielemans, Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, and Jamie Vardy all scored for the Foxes, who are now safe from relegation thanks to the three points they earned.

Both Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are still recovering from surgery and will not be available for Pep Guardiola's match against Leicester.

Catalan coach told reporters on Friday afternoon that Erling Haaland's availability for Saturday's game remains unclear "We have to wait till he can feel his foot again before making a final decision.

"He is feeling better, so we will workout this afternoon and evaluate his progress afterward.

Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland in action with Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham and Mats Hummels on October 25, 2022

Wilfred Ndidi's return to training this week has been a huge help to Rodgers's fitness, but Jonny Evans's status is less definite. Both Ryan Bertrand and Ricardo Pereira continue to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Vardy's late goal against Wolves was his 100th in the Premier League since turning 30. Substitutions are expected to be kept to a minimum this week.

Vardy's propensity for goals against the Big Six teams is also well-documented, and he may be the only player the hosts change in the starting eleven this week. He scored eight goals against Man City.

The pattern for Leicester has been returning players, but for Man City it has been the reverse, as Haaland was hauled off at halftime against his previous team, Dortmund, due to a mix of weariness, sickness, and a foot injury.

Man City are allegedly optimistic that the Norwegian has dodged anything severe, and Guardiola confirmed at his pre-game news conference that the striker was feeling better. The Norwegian was then spotted hobbling into a medical facility for additional evaluation. But if you don't want to risk Haaland and his 17 goals right now, Julian Alvarez is on standby.

Although Haaland played just 45 minutes due to sickness, Joao Cancelo appears to have a higher chance of starting at the King Power than Haaland does, as Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker remain out and Sergio Gomez is back in the lineup after missing the Champions League.


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