The reigning champions welcome Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United to the Etihad Stadium in game week 17 of the Premier League. It is a must-win clash for the Citizens as they look to keep pace with fellow front runners, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Their recent head-to-head record with the Yorkshire club is not great. Not since the pre-Sheikh Mansour days prior to 2008 has City recorded a league win against Leeds. I predict that will change here.
Leeds has been poor this season. There is no escaping it. Whether they have been found out or they are suffering a sophomore slump or a combination of both, they have been terrible. I think Pep Guardiola’s side will easily record a victory in this matchup.
Manchester City vs Leeds FYIs:
Kick-off time: 8 PM GMT, 14th December 2021
Man City Team News: go here
Premier League Preview Podcast:
Form Guide (All Competitions): Man City (WWWLW) Leeds (LDWDL)
Now I’ve given you some background, it’s time to come with me as I gaze into my crystal ball to see who takes the pitch for the league leaders this Tuesday night (local time)
Ederson starts in goals. Is he the best goalkeeper in the league? It is a discussion that pundits have had across all platforms over the last couple of weeks. For mine, yes, he is.
Full back will see the return of Kyle Walker, as Joao Cancelo sits out his mandatory suspension for yellow card accumulation. Ukrainian national team captain Oleksandr Zinchenko will line up on the left-hand side of the defense.
Centrally, first-choice duo Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte will line up alongside each other. The Portuguese and the Frenchman come Spaniard pairing is right up there in terms of best central defensive partnerships in world football right now.
The midfield will be back to the strongest trio that Pep has available to him, with Rodri lining up slightly deeper with Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva ahead of him. This will mark De Bruyne’s first Premier League start since he was diagnosed with COVID during the November international break.
Phil Foden will return to the attack, to play centrally, with Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez flanking him.
After coming off the bench against Wolves last time out, a starting position beckons him for this one.
City is amongst the best three teams in the league, and Leeds is amongst the three worst. I am picking a big win for the home side here.