The Christmas fixtures are piling up and Leicester will be facing off against Manchester City on Boxing Day. With Manchester City dropping points against Crystal Palace at the weekend, the pressure to get a result here is drastically increased.
Current Form
Leicester
Leicester are having a relatively good season so far and are currently sat in 9th place on 25 points. Recent weeks have shown a run of mixed results and over the previous 5 fixtures, Leicester have won 2, drawn 1, and lost 2. Most recently, however, they managed to defeat Chelsea away from home.
Statistically, Leicester are looking relatively solid for a mid-table finish this season. They've scored 22 goals so far, an average of 1.22 goals per game. Defensively, they've been pretty good too and have conceded 21 goals, an average of 1.17 goals per game.
Manchester City
Manchester City are currently sat in 2nd place in the Premier League on 44 points, 4 points behind leaders Liverpool. The great run of form that Guardiola's team has shown over the last couple of years has started to stutter somewhat in recent weeks. Over the previous 5 games, Manchester City have won 3 and lost 2.
The statistics show that Manchester City remain an incredibly high scoring team with 50 goals to their name so far this season, an average of 2.78 goals per game. Defensively, they're still looking good but have slipped a little in recent weeks and have now conceded 13 goals, an average of 0.72 goals per game.
Head to Head
In the previous 10 meetings between the clubs, Leicester have won 2, Manchester City have won 7, and there has been 1 draw. Notably, Manchester City have won the previous 5 games in a row in this fixture.
Analysis
Leicester
Leicester will know that they've got a tough job on their hands here if they're going to get anything out of the game. Confidence will be increased by the fact that they managed to get a win against Chelsea at the weekend, but also that Crystal Palace managed to defeat Manchester City on the same day. What this has shown is that this Manchester City team can be beaten by much lesser opposition if they play well and perhaps get a little bit of luck.
Sitting back and defending against Manchester City is an awful strategy as it invites far too much pressure. Guardiola's team have such an abundance of quality that it's only a matter of time before they score if they're allowed to press the defensive lines of the opposition back. Therefore, Leicester's best chance to get something out of this game is to go out and really have a go at getting on the scoresheet as quickly as possible. Pace in attack is important here and Vardy should be fed the ball in dangerous areas as much as possible.
Home advantage could play a role in this game as the Leicester supporters will be in good spirits over the Christmas period. The crowd should look to play their role and get behind their team as much as possible while also creating a hostile environment for the Manchester City team to play in.
Manchester City
Manchester City will know that they cannot afford to mess things up in this match. What should have been a routine win against Crystal Palace became a 2nd loss for Guardiola's team so far this season and has allowed Liverpool to extend the gap at the top of the table to 4 points. This isn't enough to write Manchester City off by a long shot but if Liverpool continue to put points on the board then the blue half of Manchester will know that their team cannot lose these kinds of games.
As always, Manchester City will look to dominate all aspects of the game and an early goal could open the floodgates to allow this team to vent their frustrations about last weekend. However, should Leicester manage to score then doubts could creep into this team and this could lead to a very interesting game. The message here will be to get the ball down on the floor and play fast-paced attacking football that Leicester can't cope with.
Predictions
I am somewhat torn with this game because Leicester certainly pose a greater threat to Manchester City on paper than Crystal Palace did. With a couple of recent results going against Manchester City, this is the first real test that they've been given in chasing another team at the top of the league. Liverpool will be expected to beat Newcastle so Guardiola will know just how important 3 points here could be. A 7 point gap at the top of the table would make things very difficult for Manchester City.
However, I do think that Crystal Palace rode their luck at times and that this Manchester City team is capable of starting another top class run of form at any given moment. With the players that they have at their disposal, I still expect Manchester City to get a result here, even if it's not as pretty as they'd like.
Prediction: Manchester City win
Score Prediction: Leicester 1 - 3 Manchester City
Betting Picks
Leicester City or Draw at 3.40 or above
Taking into account recent results for both teams, I wouldn't be massively surprised to see Leicester get something out of this game if they play well and things go their way. At odds of 3.40 or above, I'd be tempted to have a small stake on this market.
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