Man City vs. Leicester City
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Kick off: 12:30pm
Manchester City play host to Leicester City on Saturday (today) knowing that three points may prove to be enough to secure their place in next season’s Champions League.
The Foxes travel to the Etihad Stadium with the target of gaining more points in their bid to finish in eighth position when the Premier League concludes next weekend.
With no trophy and a best-case scenario of third place in the table, Pep Guardiola’s first year in English football can only be considered as a failure, but work has already started in putting things right for next season.
With wholesale changes expected, Guardiola is identifying who he wants to keep at the Etihad Stadium while he looks to win their remaining matches in order to end the campaign on a high.
In the grand scheme of things, City have maintained their form throughout the season with 30 points being recorded from 16 matches since the turn of the year, but for every few comfortable wins there are performances which undermine their work.
As for Leicester City, after last season’s fairytale Premier League title triumph many at the King Power Stadium would have accepted a top-10 finish, but few would have believed it was still possible after their indifferent domestic form earlier in the campaign.
Last week’s 3-0 victory over Watford showed that they are a class above the teams who occupy positions in the bottom half, but it is their performances against Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool which will give Shakespeare hope that they can earn at least a point.
Both Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy are showing glimpses of the form they showed on a weekly basis last year, with Vardy netting three times in five appearances and Mahrez chipping in with both goals and assists.
Man City Possible XI: Caballero, Fernandinho, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy, Toure, De Bruyne, Silva, Sane, Jesus, Aguero.
Leicester City Possible XI: Schmeichel, Simpson, Benalouane, Huth, Fuchs, Amartey, Ndidi, Albrighton, Okazaki, Mahrez, Vardy.