Manchester City are the team to beat this season as Pep Guardiola has finally managed to get the team to play to their strengths. Guardiola’s pace-setters have dropped just 2 points after 11 games, boasting 31 points and a plus-31 goal difference.
Prior to the international break, City thumped Arsenal 3-1 and will look to continue their rollicking form this weekend against a resurgent Leicester City at King Power Stadium.
Leicester, meanwhile, appear to have somewhat steadied the ship, with new manager Claude Puel taking 4 points from his opening 2 games. But they face a daunting task at home on Saturday.
Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph withdrew from the England squad with back and calf complaints respectively but both have been deemed fit to face Leicester. Left-back Benjamin Mendy however, remains a long way short of full fitness after suffering a knee ligament injury in September.
City might be sweating over Sergio Aguero’s condition after the striker suffered a dizzy spell during Argentina’s 4-2 defeat by Nigeria in Krasnodar on Tuesday. Aguero was taken to the hospital for precautionary medical checks and will be assessed ahead of weekend’s game.
Meanwhile, 31-year-old Belgian defender Vincent Kompany is closing in on a return to the pitch following his latest injury. Centre-back Nicolas Otamendi will miss the game against Leicester, having accumulated five yellow cards for the season following his booking in the 3-1 win over Arsenal.
The first choice stopper for Pep, Ederson will want to keep a clean sheet this time around, after failing to do so against Arsenal.
Walker has been fantastic since signing from Tottenham and will hope to continue his fine form at right-back.
The English centre-half has performed well in the absence of skipper Kompany and is expected to start on the right-hand side of central defence.
With Otamendi out against Leicester, Eliaquim Mangala is the prime candidate to replace the Argentinean after being on the bench for much of the season so far.
Having shown great promise in a make-shift position, Delph is expected to keep his place as the left-back this weekend as well, with Mendy sidelined for long.
The Brazilian has been a rock in the midfield, breaking up opposition’s play and providing a perfect screen for the defenders. He has been the fulcrum of Guardiola’s side and by adding goals to his game this season, Fernandinho looks like a different beast.
Arguably the best player in the Premier League, De Bruyne will surely be the biggest threat to Leicester on Saturday. The Belgian is enjoying the form of his life and his creativity will be important for his side to take all three points from this fixture.
The Spaniard is easily Guardiola’s biggest weapon in the midfield and he needs to be at his best to keep the hosts at bay.
With Leicester not expected to sit back and defend, Leroy Sane will be licking his lips knowing he will get acres of space on the left to exploit. A nippy winger, the German would be a menace to the opposition.
Sterling looks like a player reborn under Guardiola and is an automatic starter for City on the right flank.
With Aguero a doubt, Jesus is expected to lead the line against the Foxes. The Brazilian youngster has been terrific and productive in the final third for City, linking so well with the other attackers. If Claude Puel wants to gain something meaningful out of this game, his team will need to keep Jesus quiet.
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