Man City vs Leicester: EPL Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

Title-chasing Man City vs Leicester City, fighting relegation at the Etihad, with Pep Guardiola eyeing another win to challenge Arsenal.

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Avignyan Mukhopadhyay
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Man City vs Leicester | Sportz Point.

Title-chasing Man City vs Leicester City, fighting relegation at the Etihad, with Pep Guardiola eyeing another win to challenge Arsenal.

Match Details:

  • Location: Manchester, England
  • Stadium: Etihad Stadium
  • Date: Saturday 15 April
  • Kick-off Time: 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET / 09:30 PT
  • Referee: Darren England
  • VAR: Jarred Gillett
Man City vs Leicester | Sportz Point | KDB

Dean Smith's first match incharge against City (Image- Getty Images)

Man City vs Leicester: Match Preview

Bayern Munich did not match Manchester City's relentless form as they brushed the Germans aside in their Champions League encounter. Goals from Rodri, Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva gave Pep Guardiola's side an unassailable 3-0 lead in the first leg, as Manchester City now re-focus on league matters with the game against Leicester City.

Their win at St. Mary's last weekend was their fifth league triumph on the trot. And Guardiola knows the challenge ahead of his team. Going by their form, many expect Manchester City to win their remaining games, which would clinch them the Premier League title.

They remain six points behind leaders Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand over Mikel Arteta's side. Realistically, Manchester City could gun for a treble with Guardiola's side active in the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League. Considering the challenging prospect of the treble, they have to maintain their momentum and get a win over Leicester City.

Leicester City fans will have thought about the inevitable threat of relegation from the Premier League, and they will start panicking if their team does not improve their form. They have lost each of their last three games, which has seen them slip into the 19th spot.

An improbable win over Manchester City would let them apply pressure on the teams above them. If they get three points at the Etihad and their rivals, such as Everton and Nottingham Forest, lose, the Foxes could get out of the relegation zone at the weekend.

However, the prospect of beating this Manchester City side will come as a dream for Leicester City and their newly-appointed manager Dean Smith. Fans will not travel far expecting their team to create miracles, but at least an upturn in form is what they will least want from their side.

Team News:

Man City:

Guardiola has few injury concerns to deal with heading into the weekend. What remains to be seen is just how much he will tinker with the side that outplayed Bayern on Wednesday.

The Catalan manager recently said Kyle Walker can't play in his new system, but the England right back could get a recall to freshen up the starting XI. Phil Foden is their only confirmed absentee.

Leicester:

Dean Smith will hope to have Youri Tielemans available for his first match in charge, but James Justin is a long-term absentee and Jannik Vestergaard is training away from the first team.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has served his suspension and may come back into the Leicester starting XI.

Man City vs Leicester: Head to Head:

  • Manchester City have an impressive record against Leicester City and have won 65 out of the 126 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Leicester City's 32 victories.
  • Manchester City have won their last four games and 10 of their last 12 games against Leicester City in the Premier League, with their previous defeat against the Foxes coming by a 5-2 margin in 2020.

Team News:

Man City predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias. Ake; Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Alvarez, Grealish; Haaland.

Leicester predicted lineup (4-3-3): Iversen; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Soumare, Dewsbury-Hall; Maddison, Vardy, Barnes.

MCI vs LEI: Fantasy XI

Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Gundogan; Mahrez, Alvarez,Vardy, Haaland.

Premier League Leicester City Manchester City