Leicester City vs Manchester City (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How To Watch | OneFootball

Manchester City embark on their final scheduled fixture of the 2024 calendar year this weekend as they face Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City away from home.

Pep Guardiola and his all-conquering players of seasons gone by find themselves in a torrid run of form across competitions, having lost nine of their last 13 matches and winning just one match during that period.

Very few of Manchester City’s players are standing out at present, and the Catalan head coach will be desperate to see some of his stars that have brought about so much success in the past carry them out of a difficult patch.

Last time out it was yet another disappointing results as the Premier League champions were held to a 1-1 draw against Everton at the Etihad Stadium, with Bernardo Silva’s opener inside 15 minutes cancelled out by Iliman Ndiaye later in the first-half.

As for this weekend’s opponents in Leicester City, the Foxes find themselves without a win in all of their last four matches, succumbing to heavy defeats against Liverpool, Wolves, and Newcastle during that time.

Ahead of the final contest for Manchester City in a historic 2024 calendar year, here is everything you need to know ahead of the encounter at the King Power Stadium!

Match Details

Leicester City host Manchester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday 29 December with kick-off scheduled for 14:30 (UK) in the Premier League.

Match Officials

Michael Oliver has been confirmed by the Premier League as the on-field match referee for Manchester City’s visit to Leicester City this weekend.

You can find the full list of confirmed match officials HERE!

Team News

Ruud van Nistelrooy is likely to expect three of his first-team squad to be confirmed as absentees for this fixture, with Issahaku Fatawu (knee), Jordan Ayew (suspended), and Wilfred Ndidi (thigh) not due back until the New Year, and the former not expected to make a return until the summer.

Two names that could make a return for the visit of Manchester City however are legendary striker Jamie Vardy following a string of knocks, and Wout Faes, who is “very doubtful” for Sunday afternoon’s clash.

Three players who have a less clear timeframe on a return but are likely to also be ruled out of the meeting with Manchester City are Mads Hermansen (groin), Ricardo Pereira (thigh), and Kasey McAteer (knock).

As for Manchester City, several names are expected to remain sidelined for their next chance at ending a torrid run of form and performances, namely Rodri (knee), Oscar Bobb (leg), Ruben Dias (muscular), and John Stones (foot).

Those that could come into contention, but are likely to be subject to late assessments following recent absences, are Matheus Nunes (unknown), Ederson (niggles), Kyle Walker (illness), and Jack Grealish (muscular).

Head To Head

Leicester City and Manchester City have met a total of 127 times in their long-standing histories, with 64 of those contests resulting in victories for the Citizens, 31 clashes resulting in a draw, and the Foxes emerging victorious 32 times.

The last time these two sides met at the King Power Stadium came back in October 2022, when a single goal from a stunning Kevin De Bruyne free-kick resulted in a 0-1 away win for Manchester City en route to yet another Premier League title and a historic Treble.

However, Leicester and Manchester City have met more recently with the latter securing three points at the Etihad Stadium in a 3-1 win in April 2023, with goals from John Stones and an Erling Haaland brace securing the win.

Statistics

Leicester City have lost 11 of their last 13 Premier League meetings with Manchester City (W2), while they have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 15 against the Citizens (W4 L11).

Manchester City have won their last four Premier League away games against Leicester City without conceding a single goal. In their league history, they have never won five in a row away against an opponent while keeping a clean sheet each time.

Manchester City have won 19 of their last 20 Premier League games against promoted sides (D1), including each of the last 10 in a row. They last had a longer such winning run between December 2009 and December 2011 (12).

Leicester City have only lost their final league game in one of the last five calendar years (W3 D1), going down 2-1 at Liverpool in 2022. This is the first time they are facing the reigning top-flight champions in such a match since 1974, and 2-0 home defeat to Leeds United.

Manchester City have only lost their final league game in one of the last 23 calendar years (W12 D10), going down 1-0 at Liverpool in 2016.

How To Watch

Leicester City against Manchester City will be available for viewers in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports and Sky Sports Main Event, with BBC Radio Manchester also providing live radio commentary of the clash.

Those in the United States can catch every single moment of the fixture live on Peacock.

You can find full global TV listings for the matchday one encounter in the UEFA Champions League HERE!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram channels throughout matchday, with content also provided on cityxtra.co.uk and YouTube!