Manchester City will be desperate to return to winning ways when they welcome Leeds United to the Etihad on Saturday.
Premier League football resumes this weekend with Gameweek 13 of the 2025/26 season. The action on the day will start on Saturday with three simultaneous matches, including Manchester City vs Leeds United at the Etihad.
Manchester City’s recent charge towards the Premier League summit abruptly ended last weekend, as Newcastle United eked a narrow 2-1 win. The ignominy worsened earlier this week, as Bayer Leverkusen beat Pep Guardiola’s charges 2-0 at the Etihad in the UEFA Champions League, forcing the former Barcelona manager to return to the drawing board.
On the other hand, Leeds United’s promising campaign threatens to go pear-shaped, as they have lost five of their last six Premier League games. That run has dropped the West Yorkshire outfit from 12th to 18th in the standings, and the pressure is rising on Daniel Farke. Failure to turn things around in the festive period may cost the German tactician his job.
The most recent Premier League clash between Manchester City and Leeds United at the Etihad ended in a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s men in May 2023. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester City manager will be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Leeds United on Saturday.
Rodri is closing in on returning from a hamstring injury, and he should be available by next weekend. However, Mateo Kovacic (ankle) remains in the treatment room, and he will not be back until March.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Leeds United on Saturday. The backline will feature Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Nico O’Reilly.
As for the midfield unit, Nicolas Gonzalez will hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Bernardo Silva providing defensive support alongside him. Phil Foden will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki playing alongside him in the final third. Erling Haaland will lead the line for Manchester City against Leeds United on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Gonzalez; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Leeds United
Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester City dugout, Daniel Farke has new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the Etihad. The Leeds United manager will be without only three first-team players on Saturday.
Anton Stach will miss the game due to concussion protocols after picking up a head injury last weekend against Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Sean Longstaff has picked up a calf injury that will keep him in the treatment room until January. Sebastiaan Bornauw is closing in on returning from a knee injury, but Saturday’s game may come too soon for him.
Lucas Perri will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Leeds United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester City on Saturday. The backline will feature Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, and Gabriel Gudmundsson.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Ilia Gruev, Ethan Ampadu, and Ao Tanaka in the absence of Longstaff and Stach. Finally, Lukas Nmecha will get the nod over Dominic Calvert-Lewin to spearhead the Leeds United attack against Manchester City, with Wilfried Gnonto and Daniel James being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Gruev, Ampadu, Tanaka; James, Nmecha, Gnonto
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won their last four Premier League games vs Leeds United, scoring 16 goals in the process. It is as many victories as they had in their first 16 outings against the West Yorkshire outfit in the competition (D5 L7). The Whites have lost their two most recent away league matches against Manchester City, going down 7-0 in 2021 and 2-1 in 2023. They last lost more consecutive away ties at the Citizens between 1963 and 1968 (4).
- Manchester City have won 23 of their last 25 Premier League games against promoted sides (D2), with their last defeat coming at home to Leeds United in April 2021.
- Since losing their first home Premier League game of the season against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City have won their last five at the Etihad by an aggregate score of 16-2. They are looking to win six consecutive home league games by at least two goals for the first time since a run of eight between January and May 2023.
- Leeds United have lost five of their last six Premier League games (W1), including the three most recent matches. They have scored first in their two most recent ties but have never lost three successive ties, having opened the scoring each time. Meanwhile, the Whites have conceded at least once in their nine most recent Premier League games, having kept a clean sheet in two of their opening three outings this season.
- All three of Lukas Nmecha’s Premier League goals have put Leeds United 1-0 up in a match. The only Leeds player whose first four goals in the competition were the opening goal of a game was David Wetherall between 1993 and 1994.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
While Wilfried Gnonto, Daniel James, and Jeremy Doku were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Erling Haaland as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Manchester City and Leeds United at the Etihad.
The Norwegian striker’s next goal for Manchester City will be his 100th in the Premier League. He has scored in his last five Premier League games at the Etihad Stadium, only having a longer run between August-November 2022 (6). With Manchester City desperate to return to winning ways, Haaland will be the go-to man for Pep Guardiola in the final third.
Prediction
Manchester City 2-0 Leeds United
After two successive defeats, Manchester City could not have asked for a better match to return to winning ways. With Leeds United struggling to trouble opponents week after week, the hosts have a golden opportunity to produce a statement performance.
However, while the away side’s defensive frailties will not go away this weekend, they will produce a more resolute performance and frustrate a profligate Manchester City attack. That may only delay the inevitable, and Erling Haaland will deliver the goods again. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
