Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the EFL Cup quarter-final between Leicester City and Manchester City at the King Power Stadium.
This match is a repeat of the quarter-final last season, when Pep Guardiola's side needed a penalty shootout to beat the Foxes en route to lifting the trophy for a fifth time.
Leicester are bidding to reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 1999-2000, which is also when they last went on to win the trophy.
Make sure you don't miss a moment of the action courtesy of our minute-by-minute updates below.
The football world may have been dominated by the news of Jose Mourinho's sacking today, but there is also the not-insignificant matter of determining some EFL Cup semi-finalists this evening - including the holders Man City being in action.
We will take a close look at both teams a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
Well, we'll start with the visitors and the headline news from Man City's camp is that Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne both return to the starting lineup for tonight's match - a huge boost for a side that was just beginning to get worn a little thin by injuries, even with their incredible depth.
Aguero has missed his side's last five games and was an unused sub at the weekend, whereas De Bruyne made his return off the bench against Everton.
Aguero, meanwhile, has once again been in deadly form when fit this season and scored four times the last time these two sides met in February.
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Mahrez fell out with some fans when trying to initially push for a move to the Etihad Stadium, but he should still be very well received here considering the incredible success he helped the club achieve. Mahrez completes the front three alongside Brahim Diaz, who scored twice in the last round.
The visiting fans will be particularly excited to get another glimpse of the highly-rated Phil Foden in midfield, while there is a first competition senior appearance for Eric Garcia.
Vardy has only recently returned from a groin injury but played 90 minutes at the weekend and is the type of player who would have been dying to play today. Puel opts to give him the night off, though.
Over his spells at both Leicester and Man City, Iheanacho has been directly involved in seven goals from nine EFL Cup matches, scoring four times and creating three more for his teammates.
Choudhury, Iborra and Ndidi make up the midfield and will try to curb the creativity of De Bruyne and co, with Mendy, Albrighton and Maddison among the players to drop out of the team from the weekend.
Soyuncu partners him at the heart of the defence with Jonny Evans suspended, while Danny Simpson is also handed a rare start to complete the back line. Danny Ward gets a chance in goal once again, as is the custom in this competition.
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The Foxes do not look like getting dragged into a relegation battle this season, while a push for Europe is perhaps a bit of a stretch, so a good cup run could be exactly what they need to keep their campaign alive.
The first of those is one Puel would take on the chin, having been beaten 2-0 by Tottenham Hotspur, but Saturday's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace was a really poor result considering the Eagles' poor form.
However, they did go on to turn one of those draws into a penalty shootout victory in the last round of this competition, edging past Southampton via the spot kicks.
Only Liverpool and Stoke in 2015-16, and Cardiff in 2011-12, have ever managed that dubious feat beforehand, and none of those teams went on to lift the trophy. Be warned, Leicester!
Manchester City are, of course, a more potent attacking force than any of the teams they have come up against so far, but it is 19 years since the Foxes last reached the semi-final of this competition, so there is a very enticing incentive tonight.
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Puel's side are heading into a very difficult Christmas period, with two matches against Man City including tonight's, and a Premier League clash with Chelsea sandwiched in between those this weekend.
Indeed, the Foxes have only won two home games inside normal time since August, although they have not been beaten at home in this competition inside normal time since August 2014, winning four of their last five.
That was the fifth time Man City have won the competition, including three times in the past five years, and this term they are bidding to become the first team to retain it since Manchester United in 2009 and 2010.
Pep Guardiola's side have still played some incredible football, and it should not be forgotten that they have still made one of the best starts to a season in English top-flight history - but they still go into today's match trailing Liverpool by one point at the top of the Premier League table.
The incredible rate of scoring has slowed slightly in recent weeks as City have suffered some underwhelming performances - at least by their own ludicrously high standards - but with Aguero back that will surely only increase against sooner rather than later.
The defeat to Chelsea could end up being costly this season having allowed Liverpool the chance to leapfrog them in the table, but it remains the only blemish on their domestic copybook so far.
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Guardiola's side have scored eight goals without reply in their last three EFL Cup outings too, including clean sheets in both games this season and a 3-0 win over Arsenal in the final last season.
Not since 2007-08 have Man City been eliminated at the quarter-final stage of this competition, when they were beaten by eventual winners Tottenham. They have progressed on each of the last five occasions that they have made it this far.
However, they have won each of their last four away games in the EFL Cup and were unbeaten in 14 - including 11 wins - before that 2-0 reverse at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.
It is hard to back against Man City in any game, but Leicester will feel that they have a real chance tonight. Even so, Man City are able to make eight changes and still start the likes of De Bruyne and Aguero, so we still have to side with the visitors.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Leicester 1-2 Man City
The most recent of those came at this exact stage last season - a year ago tomorrow, in fact - when Man City won 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw which saw Jamie Vardy net a last-gasp equaliser to cancel out Bernardo's opener.
Raheem Sterling had opened the scoring after only three minutes on that February occasion, only for Vardy to level things up 21 minutes later. From then on it was all about Aguero, though, and he will fancy his chances to scoring more tonight.
Not since 1950 have they won five times in a row against Leicester, so they are enjoying a rare period of dominance over today's opponents at the moment.
LEICESTER STARTING XI: Ward; Simpson, Soyuncu, Maguire, Fuchs; Choudhury, Iborra, Ndidi, Gray, Ghezzal; Iheanacho
MANCHESTER CITY STARTING XI: Muric; Walker, Otamendi, Stones, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Garcia, Foden; Mahrez, Aguero, Diaz
The Belgian cuts inside from the left channel and then disguises his finish but shaping to curl it towards the far corner, only to whip it in at the near post from 25 yards. You can perhaps look at Ward's position to be beaten at the near post from there, but take nothing away from the quality of the finish.
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240 - Each of Kevin De Bruyne's last two goals for Manchester City have come from outside the box, although this was his first for 240 days (v Swansea). Return.— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 18, 2018
The visitors have dominated possession and territory with Leicester set up for the counter-attack, but neither goalkeeper has been overly tested so far.
It was a goal of high class too, skipping away from his marker before rifling his finish past the keeper from 25 yards. The ball did go in at the near post, so naturally questions must be asked of the keeper, but it was such a crisp strike that it caught Ward out.
It was Gray who let fly from range with a low strike towards the bottom corner, but his deflected effort was well turned around the post by Muric.
Man City, for their part, will be looking to translate their dominance in terms of possession into chances as Ward has not had much to do in the home goal so far.
Ndidi floats a lovely pass over the defence for Albrighton, who takes a touch and then lashes his volley past a helpless Muric to send the King Power Stadium wild! Game on here!
Man City came out on top almost exactly a year ago, but can Leicester pull off a shock this time around?
Sterling's dreadful Panenka dink will quickly be forgotten with Man City on the winning side and progressing into the semi-finals, but the Foxes missed three of their penalties after working so hard to drag themselves back into the game.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's EFL Cup quarter-final between Leicester City and Manchester City at the King Power Stadium as holders Man City win on penalties to progress through to the last four. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too!
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!