Leeds United VS Manchester City Match Prediction
2020-10-03
16:30:00
Leeds United
VS
Manchester City
Our Prediction Tip
Manchester City will win this match.
2020-10-0316:30:00 Manchester City will win this match.
Manchester City and Leeds have met just once since Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League in 2004 – with City staying up at their expense that year. That one meeting was an FA Cup tie in 2013, which City won comfortably 4-0.
An eagerly-awaited clash between Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa will be an even more intriguing tactical battle after Manchester City’s defeat to Leicester last time out.
Poor game management meant City lost 5-2 in a game in which one of their players, Rodri, claimed Leicester ‘did nothing’.
City have lessons to learn from that, though they did keep a clean sheet in mid-week to prove they have at least progressed in some sense.
Leeds have also had defensive lessons to learn in their first season back in the top flight. They lost their first match 4-3 but won the second game by the same score against Fulham.
Though they kept a clean sheet last time out, they will know any more defensive errors like that will lead to a heavy defeat against City.
Even without Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, this City team has plenty of goals in it and Raheem Sterling opened his account for the season with two in mid-week.
Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden and co should have too much for Leeds in this game – but they must show a vast defensive improvement on last weekend.
Manchester City are big odds-on favourites to win this game at 4/11 with Betway and 10Bet.
City kept a clean sheet in mid-week, but their defensive mishaps last week – and Leeds’ goalscoring form – means both teams to score looks a good bet at 3/5 with Betway.
Over 2.5 goals will return 4/11 with Bet365, while over 3.5 goals is priced at 10/11 with Bet365 and Betway.
Raheem Sterling is 9/10 with 888sport to score at any time, having hit his first two goals of the season in mid-week.
Manchester City need to bounce back from their defeat last weekend to Leicester. They will be hurting, but this is a big chance to get back on track against a Leeds team with defensive questions of their own still to answer.
Jack Harrison cannot face his parent club, while Pablo Hernandez remains sidelined. Adam Forshaw and Gaetano Berardi are sidelined, and the game could come too soon for Kiko Casilla (ankle). Rodrigo could start this time out.
Patrick Bamford – Scored in all three matches so far, including the late winner against Sheffield United last time out.
Helder Costa – Two goals in the win against Fulham showed what he can offer in attack, having perhaps been a little unlucky not to make it in the top flight with Wolves.
Kalvin Phillips – In the England squad again and needs to justify why as City look to dictate the tempo in this game.
After their 4-3 defeat to Liverpool first up, followed by a penalty shoot-out defeat to Hull City in the Carabao Cup, Leeds have since beat Fulham and Sheffield United. Helder Costa netted twice and Mateusz Klich and Patrick Bamford scored in a 4-3 win against Fulham, while Bamford scored the late winner at Sheffield United last weekend.
City remain hampered by illness and injury, with Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero both still missing and Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko still unavailable. Ruben Dias could make his Manchester City debut in defence.
Kevin de Bruyne – Last season’s former PFA Player of the Year started the season as he means to go on with goals and assists from the off.
Raheem Sterling – Particularly with Aguero and Jesus missing, he will be essential in attack and scored two goals in mid-week to prove as much.
Phil Foden – Started the season with goals in the first two games and, after being dropped by England, he may feel he has a point to prove.
Manchester City have won three of their four matches so far this season but their defeat to Leicester turned heads for the wrong reasons. They took the lead in their 5-2 defeat too, with Riyad Mahrez scoring, but by the time Nathan Ake headed in it was just a consolation. They did bounce back in mid-week, however, with Raheem Sterling scoring twice and Ferran Torres adding the third.
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