[ad_1]
Manchester City are back in Premier League action with their first home game of the new season against Leicester City.
City beat the Wolves in their opener on Monday before a young team beat Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Thursday. Now, the rapid change of matches continues with the visit of 2016 Premier League champions Leicester, who could rise to the top of the table with a win today.
Pep Guardiola received a hard blow with the injury of Gabriel Jesús this Monday, with the Brazilian out of a month and Sergio Agüero still unavailable. That doesn’t leave the senior forward in shape, which means City will have to play someone out of position or call up young Liam Delap again.
Guardiola said he only has 13 players in shape for today’s game, limiting his options, but Nathan Ake and Fernandinho should return to the starting lineup after being left out of the Bournemouth game.
Follow below for live match updates and post-match reactions from Etihad.
12 ‘- City 1-0 LeicesterKEY EVENT
Watch Mahrez open the scoreboard
Siri, define ‘top corner’.
9 ‘- City 1-0 LeicesterJoe bray
Mahrez gives City a perfect start
Mahrez’s big finish – City lacked that kind of goal at times last season – they try to walk the ball too often, despite having De Bruyne, Mahrez and Foden all good forwards on the ball.
Now the Foxes have a choice to make: do they come out of their shell or are they sticking to the game plan and hoping for a breakout goal?
6 ‘- City 1-0 LeicesterJoe bray
Bernardo reacts like every City fan
It’s a lens that gets better every time you look at it. And it looked pretty good on first viewing.
3 ‘- City 1-0 LeicesterKEY EVENT
Mahrez shoots City ahead!
What a finale!
Volley from a corner to the back post and find the top corner.
2 ‘- City 0-0 LeicesterJoe bray
Early warning for the city
Harvey Barnes looks to get behind the defense, but the flag is offside.
1 ‘- City 0-0 LeicesterSimon Bajkowski
Observations of formations
Foden and Mahrez lining up on the flanks with Sterling on top, as expected.
1 ‘- City 0-0 LeicesterJoe bray
Kick off
We are underway after the players kneel before kick-off.
Joe bray
Teams are out
Leicester are out at Etihad, followed by City for the first time in the Premier League this season.
Stuart brennan
Palmer debut today?
Last week’s bench was an indicator towards the team that faced Bournemouth in the middle of the week, with only Nicolas Otamendi, who was said to have “problems” but was close to a Benfica play, not as a starter, of the seven alternates.
In which case, and with Adrian Bernabe injured, Wythenshawe’s boy Cole Palmer would appear to be on his way to debut, while Liam Delap and Tommy Doyle should be in the XI again, and Zinchenko and Laporte are back as well.
Joe bray
Last time vs Leicester
The same again today, Riyad?
Joe bray
The fans have two problems with the team today
Simon Bajkowski
Walker showing leadership qualities
Pep Guardiola made a point of talking about Kyle Walker midweek for his leading role on the team, and as the team exited the bus today, the senior man made sure to stand next to young Cole Palmer, having a conversation with him as made his way inside.
Walker made national headlines for the wrong reasons during the lockdown, but his influence on the City team cannot be overstated.
Joe bray
City beat Leicester
City Women did their job in the first half of the head double against Leicester. They advance to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Now the men will add three points in the Premier League.
Joe bray
A formidable career
City will look to continue an impressive streak in the first league home game of the season.
Joe bray
More of Guardiola’s pre-match notes
He has described what to expect from Leicester:
“Today we face Leicester, one of the best teams in the Premier League. Last season they showed how good they are, and the work that Brendan Rodgers has done has been outstanding. They have quality in all positions and they play really good football. .
“We know they are a superior team, and we know where they can cause us problems. We have had meetings this week to discuss the dangers and everyone is clear about what we have to do. We are focused on our goal, which is to play good football and win the match.
“It’s these kinds of games as a coach that you look forward to the most. It should be a great game.”
Joe bray
Guardiola explains the team’s selection
He spoke to Sky Sports.
How did you select your team?
Easy. With only 13, 14 players available, it’s easy to select your team selection. So easy.
Where’s John Stones?
Niggles. Some complaints. She’s out of shape.
What momentum does Aymeric Laporte have?
He trained two, three training sessions. He did not make it to preseason, unfortunately he had covid-19, but it is important that he is ready to be in the bank.
Coping without Jesus and Agüero?
Of course we will miss them but we are a team. We have many, many players who can score goals.
Joe bray
How Leicester line up
A strong side of the Foxes.
Joe bray
Why is Stones missing
He’s out of shape.
Stuart brennan
Injury worries decrease slightly
The City injury and Covid’s plight are clearly improving a bit, with Zinchenko and Laporte back on the bench; It seems likely that they will feature in Burnley at the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The Blues are also going with the double pivot of Fernandinho and Rodri that worked so well for the Wolves last week, which means Kevin De Bruyne is the only attacking midfielder and the back four are unchanged.
Liam Delap is back on the bench, and it seems likely he’ll have another outing at Turf Moor as well.
Simon Bajkowski
Three in a row for Foden
A third consecutive start for Phil Foden earlier this season to show his emerging importance in the team.
It looks like either he or Raheem Sterling will lead the line, with Riyad Mahrez on the other flank. Liam Delap is on the bench after his scoring debut in the middle of the week.
KEY EVENT
Man City team news confirmed
Sterling up front. Laporte and Zinchenko on the bench.
Joe bray
Watch the team arrive at the Etihad
What an impulse to have Aymeric Laporte on the squad.
Joe bray
Pep program notes
Guardiola has praised the attitude of his players facing today’s game.
In today’s program he writes:
“We are back at the Etihad this afternoon, just three days after our last game. We have done our best to rest and recover and I am confident that we can produce a good performance today.
“Our Wednesday win against Bournemouth was very satisfying for everyone at the Club. That many of our young players came into the team and performed as they did was fantastic. They showed quality and desire, and everyone at Manchester City should be proud. of the academy system that we have.
“The attitude of all my players since we returned from the short summer break has been exceptional. Coming back so soon after the Champions League tournament in Portugal is not ideal, but, until now, I couldn’t have asked for more. The training session has been of great quality, we were very good against Wolves on Monday night and in the Carabao Cup game. It was a great start, but there is still a long way to go. “
Simon Bajkowski
18 confirmed city team members
It is not so easy to see the city team arrive without moving in the Covid era, but here are 18 players who are here, including Laporte and Zinchenko.
I hope I didn’t see Riyad Mahrez instead of being injured, but you never know.
Ederson, Steffen, Carson, Walker, Ake, Laporte, García, Zinchenko, Mendy, Rodri, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Doyle, Foden, Torres, Sterling, Palmer, Delap
Simon Bajkowski
The city’s dilemma doesn’t help Leicester either
The temptation will be to put Delap in today after his shocking debut goal, although Guardiola will also have to think about the Carabao Cup match midweek on the horizon.
At the very least, the uncertainty surrounding City’s front row could not have helped Leicester prepare knowing that they might be one of the few players asked to lead for City.
Joe bray
Guardiola analyzes forward options
Guardiola named Liam Delap as an option to play head-on for City, but his expression is worth looking at in giving that answer:
Joe bray
City Women two goals up
City Women have a two-goal lead in their match with Leicester in the FA Cup.
This unusual Chloe Kelly penalty technique gave them the upper hand …
… before a beautiful finish from Georgia Stanway doubled her lead:
Joe bray
Competition for De Bruyne?
If Kevin de Bruyne wants to retain his Playmaker of the Year award, he will have to beat Harry Kane, who already has five assists this season.
De Bruyne is in one after placing Gabriel Jesus in Wolves.
Simon Bajkowski
Just one goal today
Pep Guardiola generally talks to his opponents anyway, but was particularly effusive about Leicester before this game, talking about how the break in the game and his injured players really took a toll on his four best chances last season.
They were above City in the table last year by a significant part and will be tough opponents again today.
City managed to call off their first home game last season against the Spurs despite hitting them, and they won’t care how they score all three today if they can get a win.
[ad_2]