Due to the inconsistent play of the away team, we anticipate that the home team, Mallorca, will walk away with all three points and win for the second game in a row.
When Joselu and Braithwaite are on the field for Espanyol, they provide a constant danger to the other team. However, the home team will battle to the very end and should have enough to find a way through the porous opposition defense.
Our Match Preview: Leicester City vs Manchester City
Leicester has won back-to-back games against Leeds United and Wolves since the start of October, finding their best form.
Youri Tielemans, Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, and Jamie Vardy scored in Leicester’s 4-0 rout of Wolves last weekend.
Leicester has lightened the burden on themselves and their manager by climbing out of the relegation zone into 17th position, two points ahead of the three teams below the dotted line.
Leicester has kept three consecutive clean sheets and only conceded two goals this month, but they haven’t won three straights in the Premier League since January 2021.
Rodgers’ team is undefeated at home this month, claiming seven points from nine against Leeds, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace without conceding a goal, while Man City has recently been neutered away from home.
Riyad Mahrez returns to his former club still remembering his 12-yard nightmares from the Westfalenstadion as Man City settled for a draw against Borussia Dortmund.
Mahrez missed his 32nd penalty in Germany after being fouled by Emre Can, but that point was enough to secure the first position in Group G.
Man City might overtake Arsenal if they win at the King Power Stadium. The Gunners’ advantage was sliced to two points last weekend, and they won’t play again until Sunday against Nottingham Forest.
Pep Guardiola’s team has gone without a win or a goal in their previous three away games, and Erling Braut Haaland’s health isn’t helping.
Man City beat Leicester 6-3 on Boxing Day last year after winning 1-0 at the King Power, while Leicester’s most recent home success against City also occurred on the same day in 2018.
Our Team News: Leicester City vs Manchester City
Wilfred Ndidi’s return to training this week has been a huge help to Rodgers’s squad’s health, and Jonny Evans is expected to join them before Saturday. Unfortunately, Ryan Bertrand and Ricardo Pereira will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Vardy’s late goal against Wolves was his 100th in the Premier League since he turned 30. This week, substitutions are expected to be kept to a minimum, although Daka was taken out of the game at 61 minutes.
Well-known is also Vardy’s goal-scoring prowess against the Big Six teams; he scored eight goals against Man City alone. He may be the sole starter on the bench for the hosts this week.
For Leicester, it has been returning players, but for Manchester City, it has been the reverse, as Haaland was hauled off at halftime against his previous team, Dortmund, due to a mixture of exhaustion, sickness, and a foot injury.
Man City is convinced that the Norwegian dodged anything severe after he was seen hobbling into a medical facility for additional evaluation. Still, if you don’t want to risk Haaland and his 17 goals right now, Julian Alvarez is on standby.
Although Haaland only played 45 minutes due to sickness, Cancelo seems to have a higher chance of starting at the King Power than Haaland does, especially because Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker remain out and Sergio Gomez is back in the lineup after missing the Champions League.
- Leicester City Possible Starting Lineup: Ward, Castagne, Faes, Amartey, Justin, Soumare, Maddison, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes, Vardy.
- Manchester City Possible Starting Lineup: Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Akanji, Laporte, Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne, Foden, Alvarez, Grealish.
Our Prediction: Leicester City 1-2 Manchester City
Because of Man City’s recent string of scoreless performances on the road, the upturn in form of Leicester, and concerns over Haaland’s fitness, this will be a much more difficult game for the champions than some may have anticipated.
This is especially true considering that a revitalized Jamie Vardy will be looking to continue his prolific streak against the top teams.
The resilient defensive streak of the Foxes is unlikely to count for much either way and while we have faith that Guardiola’s side will get the job done, it would not be surprising to see just the one-goal margin separate the teams.
While we have faith in Guardiola’s side to get the job done, it would not be surprising to see just the one-goal margin separate the teams.
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