Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
This weeks Premier League action may have started the night before and by the time you have read this article it is more than likely that Chelsea have been crowned champions. With the main prizes being handed out it means that the focus shifts to the race for the top four.
Manchester City may currently sit fourth but you could argue that they find themselves in the box seat at present due to the fact that they have a game in hand over Liverpool who sit a position above while having an extra point to their name.
It was advantage City last Saturday Lunchtime as they made easy work of Crystal Palace at The Etihad and after their 5-0 thumping of Sam Allardyce’s side they moved up to third for at least 24 hours. They had to make do with ending the weekend back in fourth, although they would have taken comfort from the goings on in Mersyside.
Former City player James Milner had the perfect opportunity in which to earn a win for Liverpool but he saw his spot kick saved by fellow England squad member Fraser Forster and Liverpool had to once again make do with dropping points at Anfield.
For City they come into this game off the back of a 5 game unbeaten run (3 wins and 2 draws) and will also have to pay a big thanks to Arsenal as they all but took Manchester United out of the race for the top four with a win at The Emirates last Sunday.
This means that qualification for the Champions League is very much in the hands of Pep Guardiola’s squad and they will require 7 points from the last 9 which are available. Today they will look for the first of those required against the ex-defending champions Leicester.
City ran roughshod over Sam Allardyce’s Palace last week in a performance that is very unlike The Eagles as of late, the fact that Jeffrey Schlupp was pitted at Centre Back was a massive bonus for the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne as they turned in a five star performance.
The visit of Leicester should prove a tougher task as Craig Shakespeare’s side are looking to end the season on a relative high, that being a top half finish and with their current position of 9th in the table it looks like something that is achieveble.
Back to back wins have seen them enter the top half of the table and it is credit to the way Shakespeare has turned the team around since taking over in February. Not only that but a strong finish to the campaign will increase his chances of earning the job full time.
Last Saturday they strolled to victory over Watford as they heaped more concern on Walter Mazzari due to The Hornets sliding further down the table. That result just highlights how tight that area of the table can be with just three points separating the two teams but six league places to boot.
Both sides have injury doubts going into this game with Sergio Aguero and John Stones requiring late fitness tests while Leicester look set to to have to do without the pairing of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth in defence while Danny Drinkwater is set to be absent in the middle of the park.
With the depth of the two squads it is apparent that City will be able to absorb their absences better than what Leicester will and it is for that reason that you would make them favourites going into this game. Especially with the momentum they have after last weekend’s impressive win.
Neither Stones nor Aguero featured last Saturday and if they were to miss out again then it would not be all that big a miss for Pep Guardiola’s men, the same obviously could not be said about what would be a patched up Leicester. Therefore I can only envisage this being another three points for City as they move back up to third place.
