Manchester City vs. Leicester City
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Kick off: 4:30PM
Manchester City welcome Leicester City to the Etihad Stadium this afternoon for their first home game of the new campaign.
Both sides go into the contest with 100 per cent records so far, Man City beating Wolverhampton Wanderers in their opener last weekend and Leicester picking up two wins from two to rise to the top of the pile.
Manchester City have already seen off their first major test of the new season, laying down a marker in Monday’s 3-1 triumph at Wolves to pick up points which eluded them home and away to the same opposition last term.
It was by no means entirely plain-sailing, with Wolves squandering a number of second-half chances which could have earned them something from the game, but considering they were a week behind their opponents in terms of fitness it was a result which would have pleased Pep Guardiola enormously.
Things do not get any easier this weekend, facing the early league leaders and a team that sat above them for a significant chunk of last season before ultimately falling away from the top two.
However, the former champions will be happy to be back home; they have won 10 and lost none of their last 11 Premier League outings at the Etihad Stadium and have won the last seven of those by an aggregate score of 26-1.
Not since 1989-90 have Man City lost their opening home game of a top-flight season, and they were victorious on home territory in midweek too as a Phil Foden strike sent them through to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Leicester saw their own EFL Cup hopes ended with a 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal on Wednesday night, but that is the only negative of what has been an encouraging start to the campaign.
Such a disappointing end to last season raised concerns over whether the Foxes would be able to challenge for Champions League football again, but they now sit in a position they have not occupied since the final day of their unforgettable title-winning season – top of the table.
Of course, Brendan Rodgers will not be paying any attention to the league standings after only two games of the campaign, but it is a position every team would rather be in than not, particularly with Leicester boasting the joint-best attacking record in the top flight at the moment too.
A 3-0 opening-day triumph over West Bromwich Albion was followed up with a 4-2 win over Burnley last weekend, leaving Leicester looking to win their opening three league games of a season for only the fourth time, the first time since 1922-23 and the first time ever in the top flight.
Achieving that feat at the home of Man City would make it all the more momentous and would certainly go some way to proving Leicester’s top-four credentials this season, although Rodgers has never won away to Sunday’s opponents in his managerial career, while Leicester as a team have lost eight of the last nine meetings home and away.
Manchester City possible XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Ake, Mendy, Fernandinho, Rodri, Foden, Mahrez, Sterling, De Bruyne.
Leicester City possible XI: Schmeichel, Justin, Evans, Soyuncu, Castagne, Mendy, Perez, Praet, Maddison, Barnes, Vardy.