Manchester City will host Luton Town at the Etihad on Saturday, looking to leapfrog Arsenal and Liverpool to the summit of the Premier League.
Manchester City are third on the Premier League table, just one point adrift of Arsenal and Liverpool heading into the game against Luton Town at home on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Hatters are 18th in the standings, and they ended their winless run with a win over Bournemouth last weekend.
It will be interesting to see if they can dent Manchester City’s title hopes with a morale-boosting result away from home. The home team are in formidable form, and they will be the favourites to grind out all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team news and tactics
Manchester City
The defending champions will be without Kyle Walker because of a thigh injury and Nathan Ake because of a calf injury. They are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ederson Moraes in goal.
Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol all will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out defensively and contribute in the attack. Ruben Dias will start at the heart of the defence alongside John Stones.
Rodri and Mateo Kovacic will likely pair up in the midfield double pivot, and the two players will look to add defensive cover and control to the side. Kevin De Bruyne will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to open up the opposition defende with his creativity, passing and vision.
Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku should feature in the wide areas. The two players will look to add creativity and flair to the side. Finally, Erling Haaland will lead the line for Manchester City against Luton Town on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Doku, De Bruyne, Silva; Haaland
Luton Town
Tom Lockyer, Marvelous Nakamba, Jacob Brown, Dan Potts and Amari’i Bell are all ruled out for the remainder of the season. Elijah Adebayo will return early next month from his thigh injury, and Chiedozie Ogbene is expected back in a similar time frame from his hamstring injury.
Luton Town will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Thomas Kaminski in goal. In the back three, Reece Burke will start alongside Teden Mengi and Daiki Hashioka. Fred Onyedinma and Alfie Doughty will start as the wing-backs. They will look to influence the game at both ends of the pitch.
Jordan Clark will add defensive cover to the midfield, while Ross Barkley looks to create opportunities from the deep. Tahith Chong and Andros Townsend will start as the attacking midfielders, and they will look to open up the Manchester City defence with their creativity in the final third. Finally, Carlton Morris will lead the line for the away side.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Hashioka, Mengi, Burke; Onyedinma, Barkley, Clark, Doughty; Townsend, Chong; Morris
Key Stats
- Manchester City are undefeated in their last 16 matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester City have scored eight goals in their last two games against Luton Town.
- Luton Town are winless in five of their last six league games.
- Luton Town have conceded 11 goals in their last six outings.
- Manchester City have scored 14 goals in their last six outings.
Player to Watch
Kevin De Bruyne
The 32-year-old has struggled with niggling injury problems this term, and he will look to end the season on a high. He was exceptional against Crystal Palace in the last Premier League game but missed out against Real Madrid in the midweek. De Bruyne will look to come back strongly and influence the game in the final third with his creativity and world-class passing ability.
Kevin De Bruyne will look to open up the Luton Town defence and create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. He scored a brace against Crystal Palace and will look to adds to his tally here as well.
Prediction
Manchester City 4-0 Luton Town
The visitors might have picked up a win over Bournemouth coming into this game. But a contest against Manchester City away from home, especially when they are on the title charge is a whole different challenge for Luton Town.
The home team are in formidable form, and they are unbeaten in their last 16 league games. Manchester City will be the overwhelming favourite here, and they should be able to inflict a crushing defeat on the visitors. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 victory for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
