Man City predicted lineup vs Leicester - Premier League | OneFootball

Manchester City must be craving a reset and the fresh beginnings a new year will supply.

A Boxing Day draw with Everton means City's slide has extended to one win in 13 games across all competitions. Their position in the all-new Champions League league phase is precarious, and their drift down to seventh in the Premier League table means the perennial champions currently boast no ambitions of winning a fifth straight title.

Top four is the goal. Who'd have thunk it?

Nevertheless, the Cityzens do at least have the chance to end 2024 on a high note this weekend. While City have performed like relegation fodder for the past couple of months, Leicester's slow sink towards the second tier seems inevitable - even with Ruud van Nistelrooy at the helm.

Here's how City could line up for their final outing of the calendar year.

Man City predicted lineup vs Leicester (4-1-4-1)

Erling Haaland missed a penalty on Boxing Day / Molly Darlington/GettyImages

GK: Stefan Ortega - Ederson missed out against the Toffees because of a knock and the quick turnaround might allow Ortega to retain his place between the sticks.

RB: Rico Lewis - Kyle Walker has gradually fallen out of favour and he's likely to miss Sunday's game through illness. Given City's dearth of options, Lewis is a shoo-in at right-back.

CB: Manuel Akanji - The Swiss defender has long been a calming presence amid the storm, but not even Akanji's serenity can save this City team. He didn't cover himself in glory in the sequence for Everton's equaliser on Boxing Day.

CB: Nathan Ake - The return of Ake is a big boost for the champions, but he'll have to be managed carefully. The Dutchman couldn't complete the entirety of Thursday's 1-1 draw and was substituted in the second half. He isn't dealing with another injury, however.

LB: Josko Gvardiol - The Croatian has produced lapse after lapse this term, but he remains a threat in the final third from left-back. Unlike his teammates in defence, Gvardiol has stayed injury free.

DM: Ilkay Gundogan - There could be rotation at the base of midfield with Gundogan replacing Mateo Kovacic. The German has struggled this term, but Leicester are hardly a lethal force on the counter-attack.

RM: Bernardo Silva - It seemed as if Bernardo had got the ball rolling for a vintage City smacking against Everton, but the Toffees merely required one opening to draw level and eventually share the spoils.

AM: Kevin De Bruyne - The Belgian has been in and out of the side amid City's woeful run, but he could return to the XI after making an appearance off the bench on Boxing Day. De Bruyne has a decent goal catalogue at the King Power.

AM: Phil Foden - It's been a quiet season for Foden, but there have at least been glimmers in the past couple of games. The England international scored his first league goal of the campaign last week at Villa Park.

LM: Jeremy Doku - Doku is far from perfect, but he was key to City's early success against Everton. The Belgian can supply a spark and an injection of pace to an attack that's often looked pedestrian.

ST: Erling Haaland - The City striker has netted just once since the November international break and his scoring woes continued on Boxing Day as he had a poor penalty saved by Jordan Pickford. Perhaps a Julian Alvarez replacement was needed all along.