Leicester vs Manchester City: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

This game is extremely tough to call on paper, with both sides out of form heading into this game. Leicester City come into this game with three consecutive losses. Meanwhile, Manchester City are facing five without a win and one win in 13 to stretch this miserable spell for Pep Guardiola.

Defensively, Manchester City have been better than their opponents in recent weeks, with Leicester City failing to keep a clean sheet in their previous 12, compared to five for Manchester City. The visitors' recent history with their hosts leans us towards a Manchester City victory, with the Citizens winning the last four head-to-head meetings and scoring first in seven of the last eight between the two teams. Both teams have scored in five of the last seven involving Leicester City and four of the last five involving Manchester City - Leicester 1-2 Man City

Man City travel to face Leicester in the Premier League, desperately searching for three points to turn around their fortunes of late.

Date: 29/12/24

Kick-off time: 14:30

Venue: King Power Stadium

It has been a dreadful stretch for Man City, which has seen them win just once in their last 13 games in all competitions. This includes six league defeats and two draws. As a result, they have dropped to seventh place in the table with their title hopes all but over. The Citizens are 14 points behind leaders Liverpool who also have a game in hand.

They will face struggling Leicester, who after a winning start under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, have lost three in a row. They have dropped back into the relegation zone with 14 points, one behind 17th place Wolves. However, they will hope to pick up a positive result against a side severely lacking in confidence.

There should be goals in this game with both defences leaking goals. City have conceded at least twice in four of their last five in all comps, while Leicester have allowed 12 in their last four. Pep Guardiola’s men should be hopeful of getting plenty of opportunities against this opposition, though will need Erling Haaland to find form as he has not scored in any of the last three league games. He also missed a penalty last time out at Everton.

Leicester lost to Liverpool on Boxing Day despite taking the lead through Jordan Ayew, but this snapped a two-game scoreless streak. The Foxes will hope to have Jamie Vardy available, with the striker leading the way for the club with six goals. In the first two games under van Nistelrooy, the hosts scored five goals, but they have dried up since.

Since 2019, these two teams have met nine times in the Premier League. As expected, City have the far superior record with eight wins, though Leicester did record a huge 5-2 victory at the Etihad in 2020. The last time the pair met was towards the end of the 22-23 season, which City won 3-1 at home. They also won the reverse fixture 1-0. The visitors are on a four game winning streak in all competitions against their opponents.

Leicester vs Manchester City will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event & Football.

Leicester

Wilfred Ndidi is set for a return in the new year, as this game comes too soon. After missing the Boxing Day fixture with a knock, Jamie Vardy hopes to be in the squad this weekend. Mads Hermansen should not miss much more time, though his return date is unknown. Ricardo Pereira remains out.

Manchester City

Ruben Dias will be out for a few weeks with a muscle injury. Matheus Nunes and Jack Grealish will hope to be available after missing the last game. Ederson could be involved after losing his starting place to Stefan Ortega in recent games. Kyle Walker missed Boxing Day with an illness but should also return. John Stones remains out.

Leicester:

In their last five games, Leicester have won one, drawn one and lost three. It has been a mixed start to life under Ruud van Nistelrooy as the Foxes look to avoid relegation. However this run started with a 3-1 victory over West Ham in the manager’s first game in charge. Jamie Vardy, Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka were all on the scoresheet.

Another point followed as they came from a 2-0 deficit late on to draw with Brighton. Goals from Vardy and Bobby De Cordova Reid salvaged a point. Newcastle were their next opponents on the road, but they were condemned to a 4-0 defeat. Jacob Murphy scored a brace, adding to strikes from Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak.

Last weekend, they faced fellow relegation battlers Wolves. They were defeated 3-0 as Goncalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha all scored before the break. On Boxing Day, they hosted league leaders Liverpool. They lost 3-1, though took the lead through Jordan Ayew. Cody Gakpo equalised shortly before the break, before Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah sealed their win in the second half.

Man City:

In their last five games, Man City have drawn two and lost three. It has been a continued tough stretch for Man City as they have fallen in both the Premier League and Europe. This run started with a trip to Crystal Palace, where they were held to a 2-2 draw. The hosts took the lead twice, but were pegged back on both occasions by Erling Haaland and Rico Lewis. Lewis then saw red in the closing stages, but City were able to hold on for a point with 10 men.

Attention shifted to the Champions League as they faced Italian side Juventus on the road. Second half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie condemned them to a 2-0 defeat. The Manchester derby followed as City hosted their neighbours Man United. Pep Guardiola’s side looked set for victory, but two goals in the dying stages from Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo saw them lose 2-1.

An away game at Aston Villa last week ended in another loss, with goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers helping the home side to a 2-1 win. Phil Foden’s stoppage time strike proved nothing but a consolation. Last time out they hosted Everton at the Etihad. They were held to a 1-1 draw, despite taking the lead through Bernardo Silva. Iliman Ndiaye scored the equaliser before Haaland had a second half penalty saved by Jordan Pickford.

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