Manchester City vs Leicester City (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Stats, Head to Head, How to Watch | OneFootball

Manchester City return to league action under the Etihad Stadium lights as they face Leicester City on Wednesday night in the English top-flight.

The Premier League Champions are in search of a priceless three points as the pressure builds on an ever-intensifying race for UEFA Champions League football as the 2024/25 campaign draws to a close.

On Sunday, City secured a huge victory in the context of their season as they progressed to their seventh successive FA Cup semi-final, beating AFC Bournemouth by a 1-2 scoreline, coming from behind in an inspired second-half performance.

City were very wasteful in the early stages, with Erling Haaland not his usual prolific self, missing a trio of great chances to break the deadlock: the first from a brilliant cross by Matheus Nunes and headed past the post; the second forcing a good save from Kepa Arrizabalaga at the penalty spot; and the third being a one-vs-one.

Bournemouth then seized upon missed opportunities and took the lead just past the 20 minute mark, when Evanilson fired home from close range after the ball was very poorly given away by Matheus Nunes, making the score 1-0 at the break.

Pep Guardiola knew something had to change, so he brought on exciting prospect Nico O’Reilly at left back for Abdudokir Khusanov to add some width to the team’s structure. Sure enough, the change paid off with O’Reilly charging forward down the left and pulling the ball across the box to be fired home by Erling Haaland.

Haaland was then forced off following an uncomfortable landing on his ankle and was replaced by Omar Marmoush. The two who had come off the bench then combined just two minutes later, with O’Reilly stealing the ball from Antoine Semenyo and threading it through to the Egyptian, who slotted it home calmly.

The remainder of the second period was a story of exceptional game management by the Blues, who limited Bournemouth to 0.00 xG in the second 45, expertly seeing out the remainder of the game to progress to a potentially season-saving visit to Wembley.

City’s opponents on Sunday come into the fixture in poor form, failing to win since the January 26, facing seven consecutive defeats in all competitions, and having not scored a league goal since that victory at the end of the first month of the year, conceding 16 goals in that time.

In regards to the table, the game is hugely important for both sides for very different reasons, with the Foxes fighting for their lives in the Premier League, trying to pull off a somewhat miraculous feat being 12 points off safety with nine fixtures remaining this campaign.

For the Blues, this is a must win along with the rest of their games as City go head to head with the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle in a relentless battle for the top-five places in the division with hope of securing all-important Champions League. City sit 5th, a point behind Chelsea in 4th and a point above Newcastle in 6th.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this huge clash in Manchester City’s race for the Champions League!

Match Details

Manchester City face a visit from Leicester City as they travel to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, with kick-off scheduled for 19:45 GMT.

Match Officials

The Premier League had confirmed that Darren England will oversee proceedings as Manchester City take on Leicester City on Wednesday night.

Check out the full list of match officials below!

Team News

For City, they face a massive injury blow ahead of this game, with talisman Erling Haaland being confirmed by the club themselves to be out for between 5-7 weeks following an ankle injury sustained at Bournemouth.

John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké are all confirmed absentees with their respective longer-term injuries. However, Pep Guardiola is hopeful that his defenders could be back before the end of the campaign.

This is what the Manchester City boss had to say on his absent defenders during his pre-match press conference from the City Football Academy this week.

“All of them will come before the end of the season. I don’t know when but he (Manuel Akanji) is getting better. It’s been a long time since he has been out. Same with John and Nathan, the three of them.

“I’m lucky that Josko (Gvardiol) is a real warrior. He has been there all season. I cannot imagine what would happen without him. I am grateful and appreciate his focus to be ready all the time.”

Rodri is also ruled out following his ACL injury in September but Manchester City remain hopeful of the possibility of the Spaniard featuring in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Although the situation is not fully understood, it is hopeful the champions will also finally see a return to the matchday squad for Oscar Bobb since his unfortunate leg fracture at the beginning of the campaign.

The Norwegian has been pictured multiple times in training in the last weeks and also completed 90 minutes for City’s EDS as they lost 2-3 to Crystal Palace U21. Not much is known about the schedule in regard to the return of City’s number 52, but there are positive signs leading up to the fixture that we might finally see a return to the squad for the winger.

Pep Guardiola will also be absent from the touchline as the Manchester City head coach faces suspension from this fixture following his yellow card on Sunday against AFC Bournemouth.

For the visitors, loanee Odsonne Edouard is a doubt, having not featured since the sixth of December. Ricardo Pereira is the same, having returned from injury last month but suffering a setback which ruled him out for Leicester’s next fixture.

It is possible, however, that the Portuguese could be fit to return in time for the clash at the Etihad. Confirmed absentees consist of Australian defender Harry Souttar with an ankle injury picked up in December ruling him out until at least late April.

Winger Abdul Fatawu is also confirmed to miss the clash following a cruciate ligament injury in November that has sidelined the 21-year-old for the foreseeable future.

Head To Head

In their last fixture back in December, Manchester City emerged 0-2 victors at the King Power Stadium to end a torrid winless run for the Blues. Savinho gave City the lead after an ambitious shot from Phil Foden was parried into danger, and the Brazilian was first on scene to thunder home from a few yards out.

Leicester had their opportunities to equalise and even struck the woodwork through Facundo Buonanotte but failed to provide that all-important final touch to level the game. With just over 15 minutes to play, the goalscorer turned provider for City, and Savinho whipped in a brilliant cross which Haaland headed home, securing a much-needed three points.

Manchester City have a relatively good record against the Foxes, winning 45 of their 93 games against the 2016 Premier League champions across all competitions, losing 28 and drawing the other 20.

Statistics

Manchester City have won nine of their last 10 Premier League games against Leicester, winning the last six in a row by an aggregate score of 15-4.

None of Leicester’s 12 Premier League away games against Manchester City have been drawn, with the Foxes winning five to City’s seven. Meanwhile, the 10 meetings between the pair at the Etihad Stadium in the competition have produced a total of 43 goals (Man City 25, Leicester 18).

Manchester City have won 21 of their last 22 Premier League games against newly promoted opposition (D1), including each of their last 12 in a row – the joint-longest such winning run in their top-flight history (also 12 in a row from December 2009 to December 2011).

Leicester City have lost 13 of their last 14 Premier League games (W1), including their last six in a row without scoring a single goal. In English top-flight history, only three sides have ever lost 7+ without scoring in succession – Sunderland (8 in January 1977), Ipswich (7 in April 1995), and Crystal Palace (8 in September 2017).

Manchester City have won each of their last 13 Premier League games in April – only Liverpool in December (15 between 2017 and 2020) and Manchester United in March (15 between 2005 and 2009) have had longer winning runs in a specific month in the competition.

How To Watch

For viewers in the United Kingdom, the match will not be televised, but coverage will still be regionally available on BBC Radio Manchester.

For viewers in the United States, the match will be available to stream on multiple platforms such as UNIVERSO, with action getting underway from 14:45 (EST).

You can find the full global TV listings for this match here!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram channels throughout Wednesday evening, with content also provided on cityxtra.co.uk and YouTube!