In Leicester City, Man City Faces A True Test

While it looked dicey for a while there, Liverpool overcame a scary injury to Mohamed Salah and did what they had to do in a tougher-than-it-should’ve-been win at Newcastle. Now the pressure returns to Manchester City, who, while two points behind in the race for the top of the Premier League, have a game in hand, as well as a seemingly healthy 3 goal lead in goal differential. So who stands in the way of Pep Guardiola’s men this week? None other than one of the few teams to have actually beaten them this year in Leicester City. Let’s take a look at how these two teams stack up against each other and if there’s any makings of a table-shifting upset for Monday evening in Manchester.

The First Meeting(s)

The two sides have actually met twice this season, once on Boxing Day when Leicester came away with a 2-1 win, and in the quarterfinal tie of the Carabao Cup eight days before that, when Man City triumphed, but only after a penalty shoot-out. Both those games were tight affairs, with a strong Leicester defense holding off the usual barrage of City attacks in both matches. 

What’s Changed Since Then?

Well, for Leicester, a lot, namely the man in charge. The win against Man City may have been Claude Puel’s last hurrah, as they went on to lose 7 of their next 9, leading to his dismissal in late February. His replacement, former Liverpool boss Brendan Rogers, has helped the Foxes win 5 of their 8 league matches, including last week’s huge 3-0 win against Arsenal. The 16 points earned under Rogers is second only to Man City and Liverpool in the same time period.

Who To Watch

For Leicester City, you always have to keep an eye on James Vardy. Why?

• He’s scored 10 goals in 9 league appearances since Rogers has taken over.
• He’s scored an amazing 31 goals against top-6 clubs since his league debut in 2014-15.
• Raheem Sterling who? Vardy has more League goals, and is only two behind Sergio Aguero.

For Man City? Well, you pick. Sterling. Aguero. Sané. Silva. Kompany, Mahrez. We could go on. 

Recent Form

Over the past few months, both teams have been some of the best in the league.

Ever since Brendan Rogers took over, Leicester has looked like a different team, more consistent and focused. With no cups to play for, they’ve maintained League form and have steadily made their way into a solid place in the top ten.

Meanwhile, Man City has been dominant as usual, and their loss to Tottenham in the Champions League quarters seems to have only doubled their desire to make sure they keep the Premier League title. 

Bottom Line

For Leicester City, it’s a story of redemption. An ex-Liverpool boss can help his old club with a win. But he's not really doing it for the Reds. He wants to show that his old club they made a mistake when they let him go after he lost the title just a few years ago to…Man City.

And City just really really want this, especially after the heartbreaking result in the Champions League. In their last 12 league games, they’ve scored 27 goals and conceded just three. Plus they’re playing at home, in front of an already charged crowd, who have only seen them lose once out of 18 matches at home this season.

Betting wise, of course Man City (-170) is favored, but Leicester’s odds (+1600)feel so heavy they might be worth taking a chance. (Remember all the stories of the guy who put money on them to win the title in 2016?)

As for scoring, Man City can pile on if they get on a roll. (See earlier 7-0, 6-0, 5-0 results) so take a look at Total Goals for a way to earn some winnings.

And if you’re looking to bet in game, keep an eye out for the first 15 minutes or so. Leicester has let in more goals in that time than any other in the league. If the Foxes can hold steady, they might have a chance to score an upset, and give their manager's old team a much needed lift toward a possible title.