Manchester City will take on Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday. The home side have been in impressive form and are at top of the league table, while the visitors put up a solid performance in their recent match in the Premier League. Can Leicester City hold off the Citizens?
Manchester City have been flying through the Premier League season and have been in an impressive goal-scoring form in recent weeks. They have taken advantage of Liverpool and Chelsea’s draw last week and built up a cushion of three points at the top. The Cityzens have 14 wins, two draws, and two losses in 18 matches. They head into the game on an eight-match winning streak in the league and have won 11 out of 15 games across all competitions. City’s free-scoring form in recent matches is further highlighted by their 11 goals in the last two games. In the recent match against Newcastle, City were dominant as they scored four goals and secured a 4-0 away win. They will be looking to extend their lead at the top with a win over Leicester City. The Citizens only have Kyle Walker who is currently out although, he could be back in contention for the game against the Foxes.
In the recent game against Newcastle, City had a higher xG than their opponent. The Cityzens were dominant in terms of many attacking stats. Both Sterling and Jesus had the joint-highest xG in the match. De Bruyne and Cancelo made the joint-highest passes to the final third. City took a total of 17 shots with 41.18% accuracy.
In terms of expected goals, Manchester City are currently second behind Liverpool. The Cityzens average 2.25 expected goals per match.
Since their impressive 4-0 win over Newcastle, Leicester City have had their back-to-back games in the Premier League postponed due to COVID-19 related issues. They were recently knocked out of the EFL CUP quarter-final by Liverpool on penalties despite leading the game until stoppage time. Brendan Rodgers’ side have been inconsistent all season, and their problem of leaking goals at the back has plagued them. Leicester’s poor defensive record this season is further highlighted by the fact that the 4-0 win against Newcastle was just their second clean sheet of the season. They are currently placed ninth in the league, with six wins, four draws and six losses in 16 matches, although they have two games in hand. The Foxes would need to be in their top form if they are to stand a chance to hold off City at the Etihad. Fofana and Justin are still side-lined, while Jonny Evans could be in contention for the match.
Leicester City have conceded sixth-highest goals in the Premier League so far. They concede an average of 1.552 goals per match, which further indicates their defensive issues.
In terms of successful smart passes, the Foxes are placed at the fourth spot in the league. They average above two successful smart passes per match.
Predicted XI
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Sterling, Grealish.
Leicester City (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel; Castagne, Amartey, Ndidi, Thomas; Tielemans, Soumare; Maddison, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Daka.
Prediction
Manchester City will be heading into the match with an upper hand. The Foxes would need to be in their top form to hold off City at the Etihad.
