Leeds-Manchester City is a match for the 17th round of the Premier League and is played on Wednesday at 21:00: predictions
It’s up to reigning champions Manchester City to bring the curtain down on the penultimate Premier League round of 2022, before the next round of fixtures on New Year’s Day next Saturday. Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, has been overtaken in second place by the surprising Newcastle and the summit is ever more distant after the umpteenth success of the leading Arsenal, which beating West Ham moved to +8.
The Citizens, in short, while still the big favourites for the title – it would be their third in a row – cannot commit any more missteps. Not least because the others are serious, especially the Gunners, who are on a roll, have no intention of slowing down and have become, to all intents and purposes, the main antagonist of Haaland and his companions. The relentless Norwegian slinger, meanwhile, continues to score again and again: after living in the shadows during the World Cup – in Qatar he was one of the great absentees, as his Norway did not qualify – he was eager to make a comeback. And he was back in the net again in last week’s League Cup round of 16 against Liverpool, in which City came out on top in a thrilling 3-2 win.
Guardiola gets (almost) all the starters back
Now it’s time to get back to the grindstone in the Premier League, from which Guardiola and his side bid farewell with an incredible 3-1 home defeat to Brentford.
Marsch
The Catalan coach is expected to recover almost all the starters for the Leeds trip, with the exception of Alvarez (the Argentine striker won’t be back until January), Phillips (overweight) and the injured Dias. The Whites are only two points ahead of the relegation zone after the Boxing Day results: Lopetegui’s Wolverhampton have moved closer, but both Everton and West Ham remain behind. However, the situation remains delicate for Jesse Marsch’s men, who lost in a pyrotechnic way (4-3) against Tottenham in the last round, putting an end to the mini-streak of victories against Liverpool and Bournemouth.
The Prediction
Away from the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City have not been brilliant, but victory is a must against Leeds in order not to stay too far behind Arsenal. The Citizens, who have looked less solid in non-possession of late, should be able to do just that in what promises to be a lively, three-goal game.
Leeds-Manchester City matchday squad
- LEEDS (4-2-3-1): Klaesson; Kristensen, Cooper, Koch, Struijk; Roca, Forshaw; Aaronson, Rodrigo, Harrison; Gelhardt.
- MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva, Haaland, Foden.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-4
