Man City v Leeds- Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Man City host Leeds at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in the English Premier League. City sits top of the table and can move four points clear of City with a ninth league win in a row. Leeds have sacked Javi Gracia are an awful run of results and have appointed “Big Sam” Allardyce to keep them in the division.

Man City Form

After a strange league season where three wins in a row were their best run, City have now won nine Premier League fixtures in a row. It’s their last 14 in all competitions, only a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich saw them fail to win. The goals have largely been flowing freely. They’ve beaten Arsenal and away with seven goals scored and thrashed Liverpool 4-1.

There were convincing wins against Southampton (4-1) and Leicester (3-1) prior to their 4-1 destruction of Arsenal. During this streak, they reached the FA Cup final and UEFA Champions League semis after thrashing Bayern Munich 3-0 at home. In the last week, they won 2-1 at Fulham and 3-0 at home to West Ham – a big in which Erling Haaland netted his 35^th league goal of the season.

Man City Team News

Kevin De Bruyne is City’s only injury concern and he almost certainly won’t be risked ahead of a match against Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola could consider some rotation for this one with Phil Foden getting a start, Ilkay Gundogan recalled and maybe Aymeric Laporte getting some minutes too.

Erling Haaland should start against the club from his birthplace but could come off 20 minutes from the end. Julian Alvarez is set to start again and so is Riyad Mahrez. Jack Grealish could be the prime candidate for a rest.

Man City Motivation

City have Real Madrid in midweek and that will certainly divert their attention a bit. They will want to get this match won early and then take their foot off the gas.

Against Leicester recently, they led 3-0 after 25 minutes prior to facing Bayern Munich. The focus will be on getting the win and going four points clear. A draw would feel like a defeat.

Leeds Form

Leeds have sacked Javi Gracia this week and their Sporting Director has stepped down. The coach initially had an impact threw wins in seven matches, all of them against relegation rivals Southampton, Wolves, and Nottingham Forest. Things have totally unravelled since then though, beginning with a 5-1 home humbling by Crystal Palace. A 6-1 home loss to Liverpool followed.

After losing 2-1 at a struggling Fulham side, pressure was mounting on the coach. His side led 1-0 after 79 minutes at home to Leicester but leaked an equaliser to Jamie Vardy. The breaking point was reached last weekend as they were thrashed 4-1 away at Bournemouth. Sam Allardyce has arrived to shake things up and try to keep Leeds in the top flight.

Leeds Team News

With a new coach, there could be changes. Allardyce favours a strong defence but he allows plenty of freedom to his attacking players too. Stuart Dallas remains out long-term and the season is over for winger Luis Sinsterra. Liam Cooper has a muscle injury at the back and Tyler Adams may not play again this season.

Max Wober is set to replace Cooper at the back and that’s an upgrade. Pascal Struijk could also be recalled as a left-back. Further forward, Rodrigo is fit after injury, and big-money signing Georginio Rutter will hope for a start.

Leeds Motivation

Leeds would see a draw as being like a win. Allardyce will try to keep things tight and stay alive in this match.

Realistically, a narrow defeat by say two goals would be an okay result and something for the coach to build on ahead of more winnable matches.

Key Stats

Man City have won 14 of their last 15 matches in all competitions

Man City’s Haaland has scored 18 goals in his last 11 matches

City have won their last 9 league matches            

Leeds have conceded 22 goals in their last 7 matches

Leeds have lost 4 of their last 5 league matches

Leeds have conceded 14 goals in their last 3 matches vs Man City

Verdict

There is surely only one winner in this match. City may be slightly distracted and Leeds could be a bit more solid under Allardyce. Finding value would be easy in this one. Check the City XI before backing any goalscorer bets.

Best Bet: Man City Win to Zero at 2.00
Value Bet: Man City Win (-2 spread) at 2.10
Goalscorer Tip: Haaland first goalscorer at 2.60
Alternate Goalscorer Tip: Foden anytime goalscorer at 2.05

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis