Leeds United vs Manchester City – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
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Fixture: Leeds United vs Manchester City
Competition: Premier League
Kick-off: 28th February, 17:30 UK time
Leeds United’s Elland Road fortress is at risk of being breached as Manchester City head to lock horns with the Whites in the Premier League on the final day of February.
It was the last matchday of November when the two sides previously met. The outing will stay etched in the memory of every other Leeds United fan. Even after going 2-0 down within the first 25 minutes, they did manage to come back and held on to a point until the 91st minute before Josko Gvardiol broke their hearts.
The result had far-fetched consequences as it helped the Yorkshire club discover an ‘evolved’ Daniel Farke, who did not show any inhibition about making necessary changes to churn out results in the team’s favour.
Changing the staple 4-3-3 formation, the German manager started experimenting, sometimes with a 3-5-2 and sometimes with the 3-4-2-1 formation.
The results were there to see as Leeds steadily climbed up the table and lost just two of their next 14 league games.
Now perhaps the ultimate test of how far Leeds have come lies ahead, amid a Whites legend insisting the side have not got the credit they deserve.
Manchester City are on a decent run of form right now and have won four of their last five games, closing the gap down at the top with leaders Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola knows that there is no ground to lose if Manchester City are to challenge the Gunners for the Premier League honour. Richard Keys has predicted the Spaniard will leave his post at the end of the season and if the veteran is right, then this could the 55-year-old’s last hurrah.
Something that is almost certain is that neither team will let go of the game easily. Given the kind of attacking football both sides play, it could be an evening of end-to-end stuff at Elland Road.
Predicted Lineups
Recent Form (league)
Leeds United: DDWLD
Manchester City: WWWDW
Key Men
Leeds United
Daniel Farke resorted to a back five for the game against Aston Villa last weekend. It did manage to get them a favourable outcome as they almost knocked the Villans off their perch.
The German manager could stick to a similar approach when Manchester City visit Elland Road on Saturday. While Leeds are playing inside what has traditionally been a happy hunting ground, Farke has asked the fans to be realistic in their expectation.
At least some focus will be on the defence where Leeds are set to have two very experienced customers in Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon.
Leeds must keep in mind the fact that in Erling Haaland, Manchester City have a goalscoring machine. To counter the Norwegian’s physical presence, they will need all of the physical prowess the defensive duo have.
Some of the onus will also be on their skipper Ethan Ampadu, who has the full backing of the manager. Farke gave him a great compliment when he acknowledged his ‘Rolls Royce’ performances’ on the pitch. Since he serves as a link between the defence and attack, he could have a determining influence on the game.
Manchester City
The focus for the away team will definitely be on their six-feet-five-inch striker Erling Haaland. With 22 league goals, the Norwegian is firmly in the driver’s seat for the Premier League’s Golden Boot.
What serves as an additional advantage for Haaland is his unmatched physical strength that helps him take on defenders. He has an impressive 20.6 xG, which is the highest in the division, showing what he brings to the plate.
The home players are definitely going to have their hands full as they try to stop Haaland from scoring.
Together with Haaland, one of Manchester City’s January signings, Antoine Semenyo will also hold the key in attack. In Bournemouth colours, the 26-year-old had reached a top speed of 34.94 km/hour against Tottenham Hotspur in January, a statistics that keeps him on the higher rungs of the Premier League.
This only suggests what he can bring to the plate for the Cityzens when they come up against strong full-backs such as Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Match Prediction
Manchester City this season have the third highest xG in the league (48.83) behind Chelsea and Arsenal. There is a gap between themselves and Leeds United in that (38.17). But whenever the Whites have played, they have looked a threat.
Farke has used his full-backs to great effect and the case should be no different against Manchester City. The only difference, though, could be in the home team’s approach to the game.
The German manager is likely to be left content with a draw against the mighty Premier League giants. And a defensive approach could be the need of the hour.
Only once Leeds concede, they are likely to go all out in search of an equaliser. But as Farke conceded in his pre-match press conference, the visitors could simply have more strength than their opponents.
Inside Futbol Score Prediction
Leeds United 1-3 Manchester City
Where To Watch?
Leeds United vs Manchester City will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event with a kick-off time of 17:30 UK time.
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