We face the Foxes at the King Power Stadium today, kick-off 12:30 (UK time).
In comes Ederson, Manuel Akanji, Aymeric Laporte, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva in place of Stefan Ortega Moreno, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Erling Haaland.
Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker remain sidelined with injury while Haaland and Cole Palmer also miss out due to not being fully fit.
TEAMS
CITY XI: Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo, Laporte, Rodrigo, Gundogan ©, Grealish, De Bruyne, Silva, Alvarez.
Subs: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Dias, Ake, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand.
LEICESTER XI: Ward, Amartey, Soyuncu, Faes, Castagne, Dewsbury-Hall, Tielemans, Justin, Maddison, Vardy, Barnes.
Subs: Iversen, Thomas, Albrighton, Mendy, Ndidi, Praet, Iheanacho, Perez, Daka.
TACTICS
It will be 4-3-3 once again for City – Pep Guardiola’s favoured formation.
Ederson is back between the sticks after being rested for the Dortmund Champions League game.
He will be protected by a back four of John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo.
MATCH PREVIEW | LEICESTER v CITY
Rodrigo is the anchor man in the midfield, with Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne getting forward on either side of him.
Jack Grealish will look to do damage on the left wing with Bernardo Silva attacking on the right in support of central forward Julian Alvarez.
ALVAREZ OPPORTUNITY
The absence of Erling Haaland for this early afternoon clash with Leicester City presents an opportunity for Julian Alvarez.
Haaland, who has bagged 22 goals in all competitions, is not on the team sheet today as he’s not fully fit.
Argentina forward Alvarez, who joined City from River Plate, will look to impress against the Foxes and add to his tally so far this term.
He scored one in July’s Community Shield, a brace against Nottingham Forest in the 6-0 home win in August and a goal in the 5-0 home Champions League victory over FC Copenhagen in October.
MATCH STATS
Head-to-head
- We have won our last three away Premier League games against Leicester without conceding a goal. Our last away defeat there was on Boxing Day in 2018, a 2-1 loss.
- Since Pep Guardiola took charge of City in 2016/17, no side has scored more Premier League goals against the Citizens than Leicester (17), despite the Foxes losing nine of their 12 games against us in this time.
- City’s Premier League games have seen 47 goals so far this season (F36, A11), while Leicester’s have seen 45 (F21, A24) – the two highest totals so far in 2022/23.
Leicester City
- Leicester have lost nine of their last 11 Premier League matches against Manchester City (W2) and have lost their last three in a row.
- Leicester are unbeaten in their last three Premier League games without conceding (W2 D1), winning their last two. They last kept four successive clean sheets in the competition in November 2019, while they last won three league games on the bounce in January 2021.
- Leicester’s James Maddison has been involved in 15 goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances, scoring 10 and assisting five. Since the start of that run in May, only Harry Kane (16) has been involved in more among English players.
- City’s Riyad Mahrez has scored in each of the last three Premier League seasons against his former side Leicester (3 goals, all at the Etihad). Indeed, only Chris Wood (4) has scored more goals against the Foxes having previously played for them in the competition.
- Erling Haaland has scored 17 goals in 11 Premier League appearances for City this season, already the joint-second most by a Norwegian player in a single campaign (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 18 in 1996/97). His goals have been worth 11 points so far, the most for a Man City player in a single campaign since Raheem Sterling in 2017/18 (also 11).
