The Foxes shall refocus on their Champions League target next season after the international break. However, the difficult task has already been laid ahead of them as they will be taking on Manchester City, which also seeks three points to seal the domestic title as soon as possible. The Citizens have been in their top form lately.
The teams’ previous games
Leicester City managed to progress to the last four of FA Cup before the international break. They dismantled Manchester United 3-1. The Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho netted a brace plus provided an assist for the second goal scored by Belgium international Youri Tielemans. Solskjaer’s men only responded once through Mason Greenwood.
Manchester City also advanced to the FA Cup semifinal after thumping Everton 2-0 in a tight affair. Their winning goals were scored by their two top performers this season, IIkay Gundogan, and Kevin de Bruyne.
Possible tactic
Brendan Rodgers will have to come up with plan B as some of his key men are ruled out such as Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, Ricardo Perreira, James Justin, Wes Morgan, Cengiz Under. The Northern Ireland boss could only hope there would be no more injured names after the international break. Rodgers is believed to be in favour of 3-5-2 again with Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho upfront.
Pep Guardiola has always been in favour of 4-3-3 formation with more flexible transition this season. However, Raheem Sterling and Co must be more clinical in the six yard box. Thus, the Spanish boss will opt for Sergio Aguero, Riyad Mahrez and Gabi Jesus who has been resting the whole week due to the postponement of CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers.
Players to watch
Leicester would still be counting on their veteran striker Jamie Vardy who would be fully fit as he has been resting during the international break. He has notched up 12 goals and seven assists this season. Another expected name to perform well here is the former Newcastle man, Ayoze Perez.
Considering the fixture congestions for their national teams, The Citizens’ hope to score would lay on Gabi Jesus. The Brazilian forward has only bagged nine goals and provided three assists in Premier League and Champions League this season. Another notable figure to watch is Sergio Aguero whose contract will expire this summer.
Leicester City vs Manchester City Prediction
This battle of these two teams on the top three in the standings. The Foxes are currently pretty safe from Chelsea which has just collected five points lower than them. Playing at home does not necessarily give Jamie Vardy and Co the advantage as Pep Guardiola’s men know no boundaries for impressive form this season. Manchester City could snatch a narrow win here.
Betting odds
According to the punters, the game is bound to be even. The home side are backed to win at 11/2, whereas IIkay Gundogan and Co’s win market is at 10/17. The draw result is at the value of 7/2.
