Everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League encounter at the King Power Stadium on Saturday as Pep Guardiola’s men take on last season’s top-flight champions
Manchester City will be looking to get back to winning ways when they travel to champions Leicester City on Saturday.
‘Man City aren’t as good as Guardiola thinks!’
Pep Guardiola’s side are four points off top spot following the 3-1 defeat by Chelsea last weekend.
Guardiola was pleased with the performance against Antonio Conte’s side and is confident that his players are on the right path but the mass brawl in the closing stages was certainly costly.
The defending champions are only two points off the drop zone but Guardiola expects a tough match and will have to face it without some key players.
MAN CITY INJURIES
Raheem Sterling is City’s biggest injury concern. They had been confident ahead of the game with Chelsea that he would shake off the knee knock that forced him out of the game at Burnley but he was not fit enough even for the bench.
The England international also sat out Tuesday’s Champions League match and will be touch-and-go to feature on Saturday.
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Fabian Delph was said to be recovering well from groin surgery but he did not train ahead of the Celtic game and it is thought he is some way off a return to the match day squad.
Vincent Kompany is certain to miss out with knee ligament damage.
MAN CITY SUSPENSIONS
This is the biggest area of concern for City. Sergio Aguero serves the first of his four-match domestic ban, while Fernandinho will miss the first of his three matches. Both men were sent off in the closing stages of the Chelsea game.
Nicolas Otamendi will also serve a one-match ban for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Chelsea.
MAN CITY POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
Guardiola could start with a back four away from home but the system is likely to change throughout the match.
Bacary Sagna could deputise at centre-back alongside John Stones, with Kompany injured and Otamendi banned, though Aleksandar Kolarov has played there more often this season. Youngster Tosin Adarabioyo should to be on the bench.
Fernando is most likely to replace countryman Fernandinho at the base of midfield but he will get support from one of Ilkay Gundogan or Yaya Toure. Toure will appear in court on a drink-drive charge on December 13 but Guardiola would have been aware of that last weekend when he included the Ivorian in his squad and brought him on for the final stages of the Chelsea game, so it appears that his off-pitch misdemeanours will have little bearing on Guardiola’s plans – for now at least.
Kelechi Iheanacho insists that he is up for the challenge of replacing Aguero up front and he is likeliest to stand in. Guardiola will also have to decide whether to stick with Leroy Sane, who has started City’s two most recent games but has had his ups and downs.
LEICESTER CITY DOSSIER
Claudio Ranieiri has had to face questions – albeit light-hearted – about the prospect of getting the sack, such is the plight of the Foxes.
Ranieiri’s men may have sailed through their Champions League group but they are just two points off the Premier League drop zone, having won just one of their last nine games.
That run includes five defeats, while last season’s main men – Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez – have not linked up to anywhere near the same devastating effect as last season.
In fact, Mahrez has created just one goalscoring chance for Vardy in the league this season in 939 minutes on the pitch together. Last season, according to Opta, the Algerian created 22 chances for him (five assists) in 2815 minutes together – one every 128 mins.
Mahrez has still scored eight goals this season, though Vardy has not netted for Leicester since the 4-1 defeat by Liverpool on September 10.
Elsewhere, Danny Drinkwater will serve the last part of his three-match ban, while Kasper Schmeichel is still out injured.
BEST OPTA MATCH FACTS
- Manchester City haven’t lost an away game to Leicester in the Premier League (D2 L3), with their last top-flight league defeat in Leicester coming in March 1987.
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Claudio Ranieri has won seven of his eight Premier League games against Manchester City, with the only draw coming at the King Power Stadium last season.
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Manchester City have won their last six fixtures against defending champions in the Premier League, last losing to Chelsea in March 2011.
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Jamie Vardy has scored against 20 of the 23 different teams he’s faced in the Premier League but Manchester City are one of the three opponents against whom he is yet to net in the competition (four apps, 0 goals), alongside Hull City Middlesbrough.
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In the last five Premier League matches in which Sergio Aguero has not appeared for Manchester City, Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho has scored five goals.
TV COVERAGE KICK-OFF TIME
The game kicks off at 17:30 UK time on Saturday, December 10, and is available on BT Sport 1 in the UK.
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