Preview: Leicester City vs. Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Manchester City will be looking to make it three straight Premier League victories when they resume their domestic campaign away to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

The Citizens have collected six points from their first three matches to sit seventh in the table, while Leicester have also picked up six points to occupy ninth after three rounds of fixtures in England's top flight.

Match preview

© Reuters

Leicester have already beaten Man City in a competitive fixture this season, running out 1-0 winners in the Community Shield last month, and the Foxes then started their 2021-22 Premier League campaign with a 1-0 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the King Power Stadium.

Brendan Rodgers's side suffered a 4-1 defeat at West Ham United on August 23, though, with Ayoze Perez receiving a straight red card in a difficult match for the FA Cup holders.

Leicester managed to return to winning ways before the international break, as goals from Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton allowed them to beat Norwich City 2-1, and a return of six points from three matches has left the top-four hopefuls in ninth position, three points off leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

The Foxes will begin their Europa League group-stage campaign with a mouthwatering clash against Napoli next week, while a busy end to September will also see them face Millwall in the EFL Cup - a competition that is unlikely to be taken too seriously by the club this term due to their other commitments.

Leicester have now won two of their last three matches against Man City, but they have not actually beaten the reigning English champions at the King Power Stadium since December 2018, when Ricardo Pereira came up with a late winner for Claude Puel's team.

© Reuters

Man City's start to the 2021-22 campaign was underwhelming, as they followed the Community Shield loss to Leicester with a 1-0 defeat away to Tottenham in their Premier League opener on August 15.

The Citizens did not manage to sign Harry Kane over the summer despite a long pursuit but have been irresistible in their last two matches, recording back-to-back 5-0 home wins over Norwich City and Arsenal to move onto six points, which has left them in seventh position.

Like Leicester, Pep Guardiola's side will begin their European campaign next week, facing RB Leipzig at home in the Champions League, while the club will take on Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup on September 21, in addition to facing Leicester, Southampton, Chelsea in the league during a busy period.

Man City will know that they cannot afford to drop too many points in the early stages of the season, and their two recent excellent results have come at the Etihad Stadium, so it will be a huge test for the champions this weekend away to a Leicester side capable of beating any side in the division.

The Citizens had the best away record in the Premier League last term, though, picking up 45 points from their 19 matches, and Guardiola's team will be full of confidence heading into Saturday's interesting battle.

Team News

© Reuters

Leicester boss Rodgers revealed during Thursday's pre-match press conference that Jonny Evans and Jannik Vestergaard are in contention to play on Saturday, but it seems unlikely that both will be risked, so Evans could start with Vestergaard on the bench.

Ryan Bertrand is also available, meaning that James Justin, Wesley Fofana and Perez are the only three Leicester players on the sidelines for this weekend's contest.

Albrighton's goal against Norwich could see that the attacker is handed another start, while James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are expected to feature behind Jamie Vardy, leaving both Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka on the bench for the Foxes.

As for Man City, both Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will be available after their FIFA-imposed suspensions were overturned on Friday night, so the experienced Scott Carson, who was set to start with Zack Steffen out due to coronavirus, will miss out a rare outing between the sticks.

Aymeric Laporte is available despite a scare on international duty, while Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden could both be involved, although it seems likely that the pair will be named on the bench.

Jack Grealish and Ferran Torres both impressed in the win over Arsenal last time out and should retain their spots in the final third of the field, while Bernardo Silva - strongly linked with a summer exit - could feature in midfield if De Bruyne is not deemed fit enough to start at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Thomas; Tielemans, Ndidi; Albrighton, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo; Bernardo, Rodri, Gundogan; Grealish, F Torres, Gabriel Jesus

We say: Leicester City 1-1 Manchester City

This is a very difficult match to call, as it is tough to predict what will occur after an international break, particularly one so early in the season. Man City will fancy their chances of making it three wins in a row, but Leicester will have some key players back this weekend, and we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw.