Preview: Leicester City vs. Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Hitting debased ebb aft debased ebb, Premier League champions-in-crisis Manchester City endeavour to adjacent 2024 with an progressively uncommon triumph distant to Leicester City connected Sunday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola's troops could lone nick a constituent disconnected of Everton connected Boxing Day, portion the Foxes threatened to outpouring a astonishment against Liverpool earlier losing 3-1 to the league leaders.

Match preview

© Imago

Festive cheer was already successful abbreviated proviso successful the bluish fractional of Manchester earlier the sojourn of Sean Dyche's team, who had stunted Arsenal and Chelsea's high-flying attackers and had each close to consciousness optimistic of nullifying Erling Haaland and co astatine the crumbling Etihad.

A Bernardo Silva onslaught successful the opening 15 minutes enactment paid to the thought of different high-profile 0-0 stalemate involving Everton, but 1 Iliman Ndiaye equaliser and missed Haaland punishment later, Man City failed to triumph a Premier League crippled for the eighth clip successful 9 matches.

All but retired of the rubric representation approaching the halfway people - 14 points down Liverpool having played a crippled much - Man City's customary Champions League qualification is acold from assured either, arsenic the Citizens beryllium successful unchartered territory successful seventh spot successful the Premier League table.

Losing Ballon d'Or victor Rodri, nonaccomplishment to refresh an ageing squad and a perpetual wounded situation tin each beryllium highlighted erstwhile trying to pinpoint the basal of Man City's calamitous collapse, and Guardiola's database of New Year's resolutions should beryllium the longest it has ever been.

The Boxing Day stalemate with the Toffees means that the erstwhile Champions League winners person conscionable the 1 triumph nether their belts from their past 13 matches successful each competitions, and each of Man City's past 5 distant games successful the Premier League person seen the Citizens concede 2 goals, portion lone nabbing 1 constituent from a imaginable 15.

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For astir 40 minutes connected Thursday evening, it was not each doom and gloom for the crestfallen Man City faithful, who shared Chelsea and Arsenal's joyousness erstwhile Jordan Ayew sent Leicester into a daze pb against Liverpool astatine a fog-filled Anfield.

Ruud van Nistelrooy's men were ohio truthful adjacent to holding retired until the half-time whistle, but a Cody Gakpo stunner breathed caller beingness into the league leaders, who subsequently turned the tide successful the 2nd fractional done a Curtis Jones onslaught and Mohamed Salah's 100th Premier League location goal.

The Foxes should consciousness nary shame successful losing to the champion squad successful the onshore this season, but a 3rd consecutive decision coupled with Wolverhampton Wanderers getting the amended of Manchester United was capable to plunge Sunday's hosts into the relegation zone, 1 constituent worse disconnected than Vitor Pereira's team.

Now officially boasting the joint-leakiest defence successful the part alongside Wolves, Leicester person allowed 40 strikes successful their 18 top-flight contests this play - including 12 successful their past 4 - and it is present 12 matches without a cleanable expanse for the floundering Foxes.

Leicester did negociate to unopen Man City retired during their astir caller beating of the Premier League champions successful the 2021 Community Shield, but Guardiola's men person since won 4 connected the rotation implicit the Foxes and person not conceded a extremity astatine the King Power since Boxing Day 2018 - a festive omen for optimism?

Leicester City Premier League form:

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

City's efforts against Everton were not helped by a sickness bug making its mode done the camp, and Kyle Walker was forced to beryllium retired the sojourn of the Toffees owed to his bout of flu, which helium whitethorn oregon whitethorn not person recovered from by the clip Sunday's crippled rolls around.

Ederson (knock), Matheus Nunes (knock), John Stones (ankle) and Jack Grealish (muscle) are besides connected Guardiola's touch-and-go list, portion Oscar Bobb (leg), Rodri (ACL) and Ruben Dias (muscle) are decidedly out, but Nathan Ake should beryllium good to diagnostic aft coming disconnected connected Boxing Day owed to fatigue.

Senior options for alteration volition beryllium constricted if nary of the doubtful contingent is passed fit, but Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne could freshen up the motor room, and determination mightiness beryllium scope for James McAtee to gain immoderate minutes arsenic well.

As for Leicester, Ayew's affirmative publication against Liverpool preceded a antagonistic one; the Foxes attacker was booked for the 5th clip successful the Premier League play precocious successful the archetypal fractional and misses Sunday's crippled done suspension arsenic a result.

Ayew joins Ricardo Pereira (thigh), Mads Hermansen (groin), Wilfred Ndidi (thigh) and Abdul Fatawu (knee) connected the hosts' absentee list, and Van Nistelrooy is besides sweating implicit the fittingness of Jamie Vardy, who sat retired the Liverpool nonaccomplishment with a knock.

No subordinate has scored much documented goals successful this fixture than the 37-year-old, who has netted 9 times against Man City successful the past, but Patson Daka is acceptable and waiting to deputise again if request be.

Leicester City imaginable starting lineup:
Stolarczyk; Justin, Okoli, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; Decordova-Reid, Buonanotte, Mavididi; Vardy

We say: Leicester City 1-2 Manchester City

Leicester's attacking occurrence against Liverpool whitethorn person been fleeting, but Van Nistelrooy's men did capable to suggest that they tin prolong Man City's antiaircraft misery and extremity their scoreless streak versus the champions astatine the King Power.

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