Manchester City visit Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, though the competition is unlikely to figure too prominently in the mind of manager Pep Guardiola.
City face a battle to retain the Premier League title, having fallen behind Liverpool in the standings , and though they won 3-1 against Everton at the weekend, the busy Christmas period is one in which the Catalan knows his side must thrive.
Leicester, meanwhile, are comfortably ensconced in the middle of the Premier League table, despite failing to win any of their last three matches, including a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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Claude Puel’s men, therefore, are eyeing up the prospect of a major upset at the King Power Stadium.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed via ESPN+.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event. It can be streamed via Sky Go.
Squads & Team News
Leicester starting XI: Ward; Simpson, Soyuncu, Maguire, Fuchs, Choudhury, Iborra, Ndidi, Gray, Ghezzal, Iheanacho
Man City starting XI: Muric; Walker, Garcia, Otamendi, Stones, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, Foden, Diaz; Mahrez, Aguero
Betting & Match Odds
Man City are priced at odds of winning 1/3 according to bet 365 , while a draw is available at 19/4. A win for Leicester is priced at 17/2.
Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Match Preview
Gabriel Jesus was the man who took centre stage for Manchester City at the weekend as they ran out 3-1 victors over Everton in the Premier League to move temporarily back to the summit of the standings.
They have since been displaced by Liverpool, but on Tuesday their attentions turn to the Carabao Cup, in which they will tackle Leicester City.
Jesus is liable to be given a break after his heroics at the weekend and instead Riyad Mahrez is set to be the man in the spotlight, having tried to engineer a move to the Etihad from the Foxes last January. He ultimately got his wish in the summer and has since scored seven goals and laid on six more.
Leicester boss Claude Puel hopes there will not be too much animosity towards the Algeria international star during this encounter.
“Riyad gave his best for the club and the club and his team-mates gave a lot for him too,” the Frenchman said on the eve of the game. “I hope he can come back and remain on the bench and can keep a good feeling with all the people.
“He was an important part of the success with the title and we cannot forget all he gave for the club. I hope he can have a good welcome.”
City, though, have a myriad of players that Leicester will need to be mindful of, including Kevin De Bruyne, whose campaign has been plagued by injury problems to date.
Manager Pep Guardiola said previously that these could be a blessing in disguise for his side as the Belgium star was “exhausted” last term – a claim that the 27-year-old has rejected.
“I wasn’t exhausted,” he said. “I had a rest of about three weeks after 12 months of playing. Is that short? Probably, yes, but I felt OK to come back.
“I played the most of anyone last year – in the whole world – and I played the World Cup without a problem. I think the most important thing is having a summer break, if you have that you can feel OK.”
After earning 15 minutes of game time against Everton, this is set to be his chance to prove his fitness, as well as an opportunity for City to show off their remarkable depth as they aim to challenge successfully on four fronts.