Saturday, February 6, 2016, 11.45pm AEDT, Etihad Stadium, watch on Fox Sports
Table position
Manchester City: Second
Leicester City: Top
Season record
Manchester City: 14-5-5
Leicester City: 14-8-2
Last five match results
Manchester City: WDWDW
Leicester City: WWDWD
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THE poor old Premier League players have to back up from midweek matches to play their regular weekend rounds.
And it’s an absolute out and out block buster to kick off the Saturday night action in the early game, with top of the table Leicester City ($6 with Sportsbet.com.au) going up against second placed Manchester City ($1.57 with Sportsbet.com.au) (Draw is $4 with the same bookie) in a battle of two teams with hefty designs on the title.
Should Leicester City beat the Sky Blues, it would go a long, long way toward them winning the Premier League for the first time ever.
And what a season it has been for the Foxes.
It just goes from good to better for them, with striker Jamie Vardy leading the way with 18 goals, three more than any other player in the Premier League.
And the wunderkind was at it again mid week, scoring what some are saying is the goal of the season as the Foxes whacked Liverpool at the Kop, 2-0.
It was Vardy’s piece of magic that gave City the lead, when he seized on a speculative long ball from midfield star Riyad Mahrez, that floated in front of him.
His expertly taken volley had both power and swerve, bamboozling Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet from a stunning 25 yards.
And, if that wasn’t enough, he then doubled the dose when he pounced on a a deflected shot from Shinji Okazaki and slotted it in with his left boot to seal the deal.
Manager Claudio Ranieri was star struck by Vardy’s goal.
“Amazing,” Ranieri said after the match.
“The first goal was unbelievable.
“We played very well and pressed a lot against a very good team.
”Jamie is very fast and can create a lot but it was unbelievable how Mahrez found him and how he had the time to see the keeper out of the goal and scored a fantastic goal.
“The team is in good condition.
“Now it is important to recover the energy because we have to run a lot against Manchester City.
“We are free of pressure.
“The players have a good feeling.”
He said his team has recharged at the right time after a slump over Christmas.
“In training sessions I saw my players refreshed,” he said.
“After Christmas we were a little tired but now they’re getting better.”
They haven’t made a change in the past two games and it looks likely that could stay the way for this one.
It has been an interesting week for Manchester City.
Despite sitting second and hunting for their second Premier League title, the club announced it would part ways with current manager Manuel Pellegrini, with the current Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola set to take over at the end of the season.
Pellegrini has won there trophies in his time at City and is well in the running for a fourth and it seems bizarre that they would make this announcement in the midst of this chase.
He is the most successful manager ever to helm the club in terms of win rate, at 64.6 per cent. Only legends Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson are ahead of him.
City did what it had to do against Sunderland, coming away from there with a 1-0 win, but they have alternated wins and draws over their past six and would be hoping to begin some stronger form, especially in a game as important as this.
“It is an important three points and now we have to play Leicester at home and they are still the leaders,“ Pellegrini said after the match.
City, by its standards, is looking a little thin, with key men Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne injured.
Possible teams
Manchester City: Joe Hart, Bacary Sagna, Nicolas Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Gael Clichy, Fernando, Fernandinho, David Silva, YaYa Toure, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero
Leicester City: Kaspar Schmeichel, Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, Christian Fuchs, Riyad Mahrez, Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kanté, Marc Albrighton, Shinji Okazaki, Jamie Vardy
Predictions
Match result: Draw ($4 with Sportsbet.com.au)
Correct game score: 2-2 ($13 with Sportsbet.com.au)
Total match goals: Over 2.5 goals ($1.63 with Sportsbet.com.au)
These are two of the most potent teams in the Premier League, the Sky Blues featuring arguably the best striker in England Aguero and the Foxes boasting the golden boot leader Vardy. This game has goals written all over it. It really feels like the Sky Blues are too short. We know they should be favourites, but haven’t the bookies seen this Leicester City team play? The Mancs have alternated draws and losses over their past six and are coming off a narrow win away.
We think this one will be a draw with the Foxes again showing off their title credentials by holding the title favourites on their home deck. In their last 12 matches combined, they have conceded just four goals between them – Man City three and Leicester one – while scoring 15 in that time. We think this could go one of two ways, but we’re backing the attacking talent to shine through and bag at least two goals each.
First goal scorer tips
Manchester City: Sergio Aguero ($4 with Sportsbet.com.au)
As with most seasons, injury has caused interruption for the star Argentinean, but this guy is just perfection when he is up and running. And he is in the midst of a purple patch, with six goals in his last five games and five in his last three, including a pair of braces. He scored the winner against Sunderland
Leicester City: Jamie Vardy ($7.50 with Sportsbet.com.au)
What a gun. An absolute superstar. He’s the Harry Kane break out star of 2015/16. He has the goal sense and the ability to be a long term big scorer in the Premier League. And the way he punished Liverpool midweek, we just can’t go past him. He’s been in a rich vein of form all season and, if any one is going to put the sword to the Sky Blues, it is this man.
Multi of the week
If you don’t like the big blockbuster, there are nine other games to give you a chance to pluck a few winners on the punt.
Here’s our take on a little multi to whet your wagering whistle.
Our tips:
Aston Villa vs. Norwich – draw ($3.20)
Liverpool vs. Sunderland – draw ($4.50)
Newcastle vs. West Bromwich Albion – Albion win ($3.75)
Stoke vs. Everton – Everton win ($2.75)
Swansea vs. Crystal Palace – draw ($3.20)
Tottenham vs. Watford – over 2.5 match goals ($)
Multi odds: $883.87
Yep, maybe we’ve lost it, but all these results have some merit.
Villa and Norwich are a pair of cellar dwellers who simply do not know how to score. This has nil-al draw written all over it. Norwich has lost its last four and Villa has two draws and a win since it beat Crystal Palace 1-0.
Liverpool was destroyed by Leicester as we mentioned and the confidence will be shot. Sunderland has been a miserly performer, but it has struggled to put goals in the net. It is at the Kop, but we think the draw is very juicy at $4.50.
Similarly, West Brom away at Newcastle at $3.75 also looks like very strong outsider odds. This might finally be the year Newcastle gets relegated and West Brom, after a pair of home draws, is every chance of inflicting more pain on the substandard Toon away.
It’s hard not to like Everton. They just keep on keeping on, with likeable stars like Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley knocking them in, week in, week out. They are better than Stoke and should be able to head there and eke out a win in this one.
There’s a good chance the Swansea and Crystal Palace match becomes a snore fest. Neither side has shown great attacking flair in recent weeks and Palace has been getting thumped, with five straight losses. Swansea, after a slump, has been better, with a couple of wins and a draw in their last three, but the performance against Bournemouth doesn’t give us high hopes in this match.
Tottenham has cracked the 2.5 goal mark in each of its last three matches. Watford had shown a lot of attacking flair this season, before a slump that saw them lose four in a row. We think they have at least one goal in them, but Harry Kane and company will probably eclipse the total by themselves.
If you’re not as adventurous as some, pick out three or four of the legs and heighten your chances of a win.
