Leeds United will mark their return to league action this Wednesday with a visit from Premier League defending champions Manchester City.
Venue: Elland Road (Leeds)
Key Statistics
Leeds United have managed just two clean sheets across their last 19 PL home outings (W5, D5, L9).
Their last four PL contests (W2, L2) have averaged a whopping 5.5 goals per game.
They have conceded 26 goals this season. Only three teams have conceded more goals so far.
Manchester City have scored the most goals in the PL this season (40).
City have scored in all but one of their last 23 league games.
The Cityzens have lost just one of their last 24 PL away games (W17, D6).
Pep Guardiola averages the most goals per game (2.5) of all managers to have taken charge of more than 50 PL contests.
Head to head
Manchester City have been the superior team in recent head-to-head meetings between both sides, as they have won four of the last five meetings (L1).
Latest performances in all competitions
Leeds United: L-W-W-L-L
Manchester City: W-W-L-W-W
Leeds United
Leeds United will welcome Man City to Elland Road, looking to get back to winning ways after a poor ending to the first half of the season.
The Yorkshire club were beaten 4-3 by Tottenham Hotspur in their last game before the World Cup break. The defeat saw them become the first team to lead three times in a PL game and fail to win since Boxing Day 2012.
Manager Jesse Marsch must now rally the troops ahead of a clash against the reigning PL champions Manchester City, with his side firmly in another relegation dogfight. The Whites are currently in 15th position but are just two points ahead of 18th-placed Nottingham Forest, albeit with a game less.
However, despite indifferent results, Marsch’s men have recently provided the entertainment factor, with their last four PL contests (W2, L2) averaging over five goals per game.
But the American coach may opt for more defensive stability this time, given that his side have managed just two clean sheets across their last 19 PL home outings (W5, D5, L9). This is a potentially worrying sign for Marsch, who faces his former player Erling Haaland, a player currently leading the PL scoring charts.
Possible Leeds United starting line-up
Illan Meslier; R. Nissen Kristensen, Robin Koch, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk; Marc Roca, Sam Greenwood; Jack Harrison, Brenden Aaronson, C. Summerville, Rodrigo Moreno.
Injured: Patrick Bamford, Stuart Dallas, Luis Sinisterra
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Tyler Adams
Manchester City
Apart from Haaland, City as a team are cooking in attack this season. The visitors have 40 league goals this term and have scored in all but one of their last 23 league games.
However, they received a sucker punch just before the World Cup break as they were beaten 2-1 at home by an Ivan Toney inspired-Brentford side.
That loss means they went into the break sitting five points behind Arsenal. Yet, they returned to competitive action with a 3-2 Carabao Cup win over fierce rivals Liverpool last time out.
With Arsenal leading with five points, there is little margin of error for Pep Guardiola’s men, especially as 72% of the teams topping the table at Christmas have won the PL title (13/18).
Despite that, Guardiola has masterminded the last two fightbacks, with Opta’s supercomputer still giving his side a 74.8% chance of becoming champions before this round of fixtures.
Considering the Cityzens have lost just one of their last 24 PL away games (W17, D6) alongside completing an emphatic double over Leeds last season (4-0 and 7-0), few will expect them to falter here.
Possible Man City starting line-up
Ederson Moraes; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Joao Cancelo; Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernado Silva; Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland.
Injured: Ruben Dias, Kalvin Phillips
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Odds
Prediction
Leeds United 1-4 Manchester City
