Leicester City v Manchester City | Tuesday 29 November | King Power Stadium | 21:45
If I told you that Leicester City could possibly go into the New Year at the top of the Barclays Premier League log at the start of the season, you’d likely have been on the phone to the nearest mental health clinic. The Foxes’ exploits have breathed new life into a league that has been dominated by the big spenders in the last few seasons. They take on one of those money bag clubs this Tuesday and how they would love to cap the year off with a victory over the Citizens.
Can the Tigers make the seemingly impossible possible, or will Manchester City claim a vital win heading into the New Year?
To Win (90 Mins)
Leicester 57/20
Draw 57/20
City 8/10
Leicester
So they are beatable after all. Having not suffered a defeat on the road in their previous six games, the Foxes incredible run was ended by Liverpool last Saturday, and to be honest, Claudio Ranieri’s charges looked rather exhausted at Anfield. A heavy fixture list and a squad that doesn’t leave much room for rotation means Leicester are likely to have some groggy legs out on the King Power pitch come Tuesday.
Speaking of tiring legs, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez look the most worn of all the Leicester players last time out. The duo were substituted with 20 minutes remaining in the game. Ranieri’s decision to take his two best players off at Anfield may just prove to be a masterstroke. As we all know, the more tired a player is, the more likely they are to succumb to an injury and the last thing the Leicester manager needs at this point is to have one of his star men enjoy an extended period on the sidelines.
There is also another positive offshoot to the substitutions. While they were on the field for the majority of the game, Mahrez and Vardy are likely to come into this one a lot fresher than they would have if they completed the full 90. They should come into this one fired up and a lot less jaded than they were at Anfield.
Manchester City
While Leicester are struggling with fatigue, their Tusday opponents have no such problems – that’s the joy of having a squad as large and as talented as City’s. This is the time of the year the Sky Blues come into their own. They demonstrated this by hammering Sunderland last time out. While the victory didn’t see them back into second place it did close the gap on Arsenal. With the Gunners now in sight, Manuel Pelligrini’s men will be licking their lips at the prospect of finishing the year in second spot on the log.
City looked a far cry from the lackluster side that went down at the Emirates when they tackled Sunderland in their Boxing Day fixture. While the Black Cats aren’t the hardest opposition to overcome, City were still ruthless in their dispatching of the side from the north-east. Yaya Toure managed to notch up his second goal in as many games while Sterling, Bony and De Bruyne all contributed a goal to the City cause.
Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping his big name players can replicate those shifts come Tuesday evening. With the managerial memory go round that has been sparked by Mourinho’s sacking and Pep Guardiola’s confirmation that he will be leaving Bayern at the end of the season, the City mentor has seen his position at the club come into question. He will know that nothing less than the Premier League title or the Champions League
Verdict: Manchester City 8/10
With the Leicester squad stretched to breaking point and City in decent form, I’d recommend backing the Citizens to come out on top at the great price of 8/10.
