Leeds are looking to gain their first big scalp of the season against Pep Guardiola’s Man City. Ryan Fitzgerald-Nolan previews this master vs apprentice managerial match up, a meeting of minds that has been pencilled in since the announcement of the fixtures in August.
Event Details
Who is playing?
Leeds United vs Manchester City
What competition is it?
Premier League Matchweek 4
What time is Leeds vs Man City?
17:30 GMT, Saturday 3rd October 2020
Which stadium is hosting Leeds vs Man City?
Elland Road, Leeds, England
What channel is Leeds vs Man City on?
Sky Sports Main Event
Leeds vs Man City Summary
Leeds are back in the Premier League, and back with a bang. If people weren’t intrigued by United’s return after a 16-year absence they will be now. Missing out on an opening day point at Anfield to a late Mo Salah penalty, Marcelo Bielsa’s outfit have since won against fellow promoted side Fulham and then against Sheffield United.
Man City had a delayed start to the season because of going on a deep European run in the latter part of last season, meaning City have only played two games. A convincing 3-1 win at Molineux set the Blues on the right path, but a shocking 5-2 defeat at home to Leicester has put the cat amongst the pigeons ahead of another tough fixture in west Yorkshire.
Leeds Team News and Form
Marcelo Bielsa’s unorthodox and demanding management style earned Leeds their long-awaited return to the promised land of the top flight last season. The Argentine’s squad boasted a host of talent of varying ages, including a crop of home-grown players such as Kalvin Phillips and Luke Ayling.
Bielsa is not resting on his laurels, adding a plethora of players such as Rodrigo and Robin Koch to strengthen the depth of his squad in the Premier League. The aforementioned two wins from their first three is a continuation of their title winning form, losing just 19% of their league games last season.
Along with Pablo Hernandez being sidelined, long-term absentee Adam Forshaw shows no signs of returning soon in what is an otherwise clean bill of health going into the match.
Man City Team News and Form
The Citizens had just the League Cup to show for their efforts last time out making it their fifth in the past seven seasons. Missing out on the league to Liverpool and crashing out of Europe to Lyon has prompted a typical summer spend seen at the Etihad in recent times.
The signatures of Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres (amongst others) have taken the total spend to £140 million as Guardiola seeks vengeance and silverware. However, his men are looking to bounce back from a frankly embarrassing showing at home to Leicester last week.
In contrast to Leeds, Manchester City’s injury list is rather extensive. Star strikers Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus are out for the foreseeable, with Bernardo Silva (muscle), Aymeric Laporte (fitness), Joao Cancelo (foot) and Ilkay Gundogan (coronavirus) all sidelined.
Head-to-Head
Leeds’ Last Five Matches (All competitions)
- Sheffield United (A) 0-1 Premier League win
- Fulham (H) 4-3 Premier League win
- Hull (H) 1-1 (8-9 p) League Cup defeat
- Liverpool (A) 4-3 Premier League defeat
- Charlton (H) 4-0 Championship win
Man City’s Last Five Matches (All competitions)
- Burnley (A) 0-3 League Cup win
- Leicester (H) 2-5 Premier League defeat
- Bournemouth (H) 2-1 League Cup win
- Wolves (A) 1-3 Premier League win
- Lyon (H) 1-3 Champions League defeat
Source: FootyStats
Top Goalscorers
Leeds Top Goalscorers
- Patrick Bamford (3 Premier League goals this season) – The former Chelsea striker has found his shooting boots in 2020/21, having faced criticism for under performing in his xG last season. He finally looks like a Premier League striker.
- Helder Costa (2 Premier League goals this season) – The Portuguese international winger strikes fear in every full back he faces with his clinical pace. Costa confirmed his stay in Leeds after a loan spell last season from Wolves.
Man City Top Goalscorers
- Raheem Sterling (2 Premier League goals this season) – The young England star has had to adapt and overcome since the season’s beginning, often covering as a false nine with Aguero and Jesus out.
- Phil Foden (1 Premier League goal this season) – The ‘Stockport Iniesta’, as he is known, has seen his stock rise in the eyes of boss Pep Guardiola, featuring more heavily in the absence of other midfield counterparts. He will feel he has a point to prove after his controversial rule breaking on international duty with Mason Greenwood.
Source: Transfermarkt
Match Facts
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Man City‘s last 7 Premier League games.
- Leeds have seen over 2.5 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches against Man City in all competitions.
- City have only kept a clean sheet in 1 of their last 4 Premier League games.
- Man City have scored at least 2 goals in their last 7 Premier League matches.
Source: WhoScored
Previous Meetings
17th February 2013 | MCI 3-0 LEE | FA Cup |
22nd March 2004 | LEE 2-1 MCI | Premier League |
22nd December 2003 | MCI 1-1 LEE | Premier League |
Ryan’s Betting Tips
With an average of five goals a game so far for each team. Get Over 2.5 goals at 4/11* is a sure bet.
Both sides have started the season in hot goal-scoring form, with City only losing once against promoted teams last season. Both Teams To Score and To Win Manchester City is 13/10*.
Patrick Bamford is firing on all cylinders in the league (five goals in three games) and will fancy himself against a shaky City defence. Bamford Anytime Scorer is 23/10* with Mark Jarvis.
*Odds as of the time of writing (Wednesday 30th September 2020) are subject to change.
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