Leicester City and Manchester City will be desperate to return to winning ways when they clash at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
The festive period continues with the fixture crunch in the Premier League as the 2024/25 season reaches its halfway point with Gameweek 19. The latest round begins on Sunday with Leicester City vs Manchester City at the King Power Stadium.
The new manager bounce has ended at Leicester City, and Ruud van Nistelrooy is in the deep end after three successive defeats. The Dutch tactician began with a morale-boosting 3-1 win over West Ham United before holding Brighton & Hove Albion to a 2-2 draw. However, the Foxes have found the back of the net only once since then, with the run of results dropping them into the drop zone.
The mood is not much different at Manchester City, as they cannot buy a win amid the bizarre dreadful run for Pep Guardiola’s men. The reigning Premier League champions have managed only one win in 13 matches across all competitions, and they have fallen to seventh in the top-flight standings after the 1-1 draw against Everton this past weekend.
The most recent Premier League clash between Leicester City and Manchester City at the King Power Stadium ended in a 1-0 win for Guardiola’s men, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leicester City
Ruud van Nistelrooy has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Leicester City manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players vs Manchester City on Sunday.
Jordan Ayew is the latest absentee due to suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the 2024/25 Premier League season. The Ghanaian international has joined Mads Hermansen (groin), Ricardo Pereira (hamstring), Wilfred Ndidi (thigh), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (knee), and Kasey McAteer (knock) on the sidelines. Jamie Vardy and Wout Faes require late fitness tests but should be fit and available.
Jakub Stolarczyk should deputise for Hermansen between the sticks, with Leicester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester City on Sunday. The backline should feature James Justin, Caleb Okoli, Jannik Vestergaard, and Victor Kristiansen.
As for the midfield unit, Harry Winks and Boubakary Soumare should pair up in the double pivot, with Facundo Buonanotte reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Vardy should lead the line for Leicester City against Manchester City, with Stephy Mavididi and Bobby De Cordova-Reid being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Justin, Okoli, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Soumare; De Cordova-Reid, Buonanotte, Mavididi; Vardy
Manchester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Leicester City dugout, Pep Guardiola does not have any concerns to worry about ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium. The Manchester City manager might be without as many as eight first-team players.
Guardiola continues to worry about Ederson Moraes (knock), Kyle Walker (illness), Matheus Nunes (unspecified), and Jack Grealish (unspecified). However, John Stones (foot), Ruben Dias (calf), Rodri (knee), and Oscar Bobb (leg) remain on the sidelines.
Ederson will return if fit and available, but Stefan Ortega will deputise for the Brazilian international if not. Manchester City will line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation in front of the goalkeeper, with the backline featuring Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, and Josko Gvardiol.
As for the midfield unit, Mateo Kovacic should hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva providing the creative impetus. Finally, Erling Haaland will spearhead the Manchester City attack against Leicester City, with Savinho and Phil Foden being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Savinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland
Key Stats
- Leicester City have lost 11 of their last 13 Premier League games vs Manchester City (W2). Meanwhile, the Foxes have not kept a clean sheet in 15 outings against City (W4 L11). The Citizens have won their four most recent Premier League away games against Leicester City without conceding a goal. In their league history, they have never won five in a row away against an opponent while keeping a clean sheet each time.
- Manchester City have won 19 of their last 20 Premier League games against promoted sides (D1), including each of the ten most recent outings. They last had a longer winning run versus these teams between December 2009 and December 2011 (12).
- Leicester City have only lost their final league game in one of the last five years (W3 D1), going down 2-1 to Liverpool in 2022. Sunday’s clash will be the first time they will face the reigning top-flight champions in such a match since 1974, which ended in a 2-0 home defeat to Leeds United. Meanwhile, Manchester City have only lost their final league game in one of the 23 most recent years (W12 D10), suffering a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in 2016.
- Manchester City have dropped 12 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, already more than they did in the whole of 2023/24 (10). Under Pep Guardiola, they only lost more points in a campaign in 2020/21 and 2022/23 (both 13).
- Manchester City have lost seven of their last eight away games in all competitions (D1), having been unbeaten in 21 on the road before this. That is their longest run without a win on the road since a streak of 10 between January and April 2011.
Player to Watch
Jamie Vardy
While Erling Haaland will invariably be under the spotlight as he looks to resurrect his and his team’s fortunes, we have picked Jamie Vardy as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s game. The veteran striker has prided himself on being a big-game player for Leicester City, and he has a decent record against Manchester City.
The Englishman has contributed to a goal once every alternate game against Manchester City (9G 1A) in his 20 previous outings. With the reigning Premier League champions showing a soft underbelly, Vardy will hope to add to his solid record when the two teams meet at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Prediction
Leicester City 1-2 Manchester City
Leicester City and Manchester City might feel Sunday’s match gives them the opportunity to get a morale-boosting victory. With both teams vulnerable at the back, they should treat us to an end-to-end affair that will not be short of action.
Ruud van Nistelrooy will take heart from his team’s momentary offensive threat against Liverpool and look to repeat that this weekend. However, his charges might not be able to keep Erling Haaland at bay throughout the match, and the away side should eke a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.