It’s the clash between first and third-placed teams in the Premier League as Leicester City take on Manchester City. The Citizens are champions-elect and could take another huge step towards confirming their title win. The Foxes, on the other hand, are looking to strengthen their position as one of the top four teams in the league.
Manchester City 2-5 Leicester City – read the scoreline when these two teams met earlier in the season. It was the first time Pep Guardiola’s side had shipped five goals in a Premier League match and would set the tone for much of City’s early-season woes. The Citizens have recovered since then and will be out looking for revenge for their humiliation.
Jamie Vardy scored a hat-trick when the pair met on the third match-day of the 2020/21 Premier League season. The Leicester City striker netted twice from the penalty spot to complete his treble shortly before the hour mark. James Maddison and Youri Tielemans were also on the scoresheet that night for the Foxes, while Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake were the scorers for City.
The heavy loss saw Manchester City embark on a poor run, during which they were able to win just two of their next seven matches. By the time they arrested their slump, the Citizens had fallen to 13th in the league table.
However, a mid-season change in the system has been the catalyst for Manchester City’s remarkable turnaround. Guardiola’s men went on to win 13 straight games from December to March – a run which was halted by rivals Manchester United early last month. By the time they were beaten again in the league, City had moved up to the top of the table. They had also progressed to the advanced stages of all three cup competitions.
Leicester City haven’t done too bad themselves since their big win over Guardiola and Co earlier this season. The Foxes have been one of the most consistent top teams in the league so far and are looking to secure a Champions League spot for the subsequent season. Brendan Rodgers’ men will have to be wary of any potential slip-ups, similar to the ones they suffered from last season. They ended up conceding a top-four spot to Chelsea, despite holding onto it for much of the campaign.
Rodgers has had to deal with his fair share of injury problems this season. However, some of his woes will be eased by the return of James Maddison, who is expected to be in the squad to face Manchester City.
Key Players
Ilkay Gundogan: Guardiola tweaked his system earlier in this season to freshen things up for his side. He instructed full-back Joao Cancelo to move to the central areas while completely dropping an out-and-out striker from the team. One player who has benefitted from City’s new playing style is Ilkay Gundogan. The midfielder has transformed into a goal machine and has scored twelve times in the league so far. The fluid movement of City’s front five can be difficult to track for the opposition defenders – a situation which Gundogan exploits much to his and his team’s benefit.
Riyad Mahrez: Before moving to Manchester City, Mahrez made his name playing on the wing for Leicester. The Algerian attacker formed an impressive partnership with Vardy and was key to his side’s lifting the Premier League title in 2016. He has already scored against his former side once this season and will be looking to add to his tally. Mahrez has grown in importance to Guardiola’s side in recent months and could play a key role in their next game.
Kelechi Iheanacho: Mahrez moved to Manchester from Leicester in 2018. A year before that, Iheanacho had travelled in the opposite direction. The Nigerian forward – who had shone in phases for the Citizens – was signed by the Foxes as a back-up to Vardy. He has since been on the periphery of the first eleven but has found form of late. He has scored 12 times this season across all competitions and could hurt his former side, given his recent run.
Wilfred Ndidi: Replacing N’Golo Kante in any team is a mountain of a task, but Ndidi has made it look easy so far. The Nigerian midfielder is a different player to Kante but has the same importance to the current Leicester side as the Frenchman did to the 2015/16 title winners. Rodgers is likely to stick with a double-pivot of Ndidi and Youri Tielemans for this match, and the former could be key to thwarting City’s attacks.
Prediction
Manchester City looked unstoppable going into March. The Citizens had won 12 games before entering the month and would shortly record their 13th victory. However, they would eventually be halted by rivals Manchester United, who registered what can be considered a shock win, given City’s form. United proved that while City may be unstoppable, they are not invulnerable.
Leicester City will hope to draw inspiration from their top-four rivals and beat their opponents on the night. The Foxes have the upper hand in terms of the previous result and could well beat the runaway leaders, if they play the perfect game.
Nonetheless, the Foxes are very much the underdogs going into this one – a match which City should be winning given how their season has transformed since the 5-2 loss.
