Leeds - Manchester City prediction
The teams of Leeds and Manchester City will have the honor of closing the Christmas round in the Premier League.
In fact, this will be the first official match for the Whites since the World Cup break.
During this break they played 3 friendlies.
They recorded 2-1 victories against Spanish teams in the first two of them - against Elche and Real Sociedad.
But in their last control, they suffered a heavy loss with 2-4 against the French Monaco.
For their part, Man City have already played one official match. And not against anyone, but against Liverpool itself.
The result of the match was 3-2 for the Citizens . And so they qualified for the 1/4-finals of the League Cup tournament.
One of the goals for Guardiola's team was the work of the ever- present Erling Haaland .
It is very likely that the young Norwegian striker will be signed today, given the shaky defense of Leeds .
And like nothing, he can do it more than once. As I expect Manchester City to crush their hosts.
As they did in their previous 2 games against them played last season – 7-0 and 4-0.
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Leeds United - statistics and info
A positive start to the campaign quickly faded for Leeds.
But still, the team revived a bit with two wins over Liverpool and Bournemouth in late October and early November.
The 3-4 loss to Tottenham, however, highlighted their weaknesses . As the Whites led three times in London.
But they ended up pulling off a complete turnaround in their last game before the Premier League was interrupted for the World Cup.
Their performance is still too erratic to gain momentum.
And manager Jesse Marsh needs to find ways to control games better.
This season, Marsh has come under heavy criticism from some fans.
And Leeds are back in action just two points above the relegation zone .
Their situation is unlikely to improve especially before the end of the year.
After this tough game for them will be followed by a tough trip to Newcastle in the next round.
Manchester City - statistics and info
Man City's high standards have dipped slightly this season.
Recording losses to Liverpool and Brentford. As well as dropping points against Newcastle and Aston Villa.
However, they still have chances to overtake Arsenal in the second part of the season.
And to make a hat trick of 3 consecutive titles .
The Blues returned to game form with a 3-2 win against Liverpool on Thursday in a high-class League Cup thriller.
Haaland, Mahrez and Eyck scored.
As Manchester City had a serious advantage over Poole with 18-7 chances and 9-2 shots on target.
Kevin de Bruyne disappointed at the World Cup with Belgium.
But rediscovered his form to make two assists. And in general he recorded a good match.
Pep Guardiola commented:
"He's just got to find the right fire in him, just be a little bit, I'd say, angry to play his best."
It is his energy inside him. When that happens - what a player: runs, assists, scores. He is more than a player.
I know it's not easy to find this sequence every three days.
But he has something inside that says - I'm going to do it, I want to fight."
De Bruyne did not feature in the previous visit to Leeds United in April.
But scored twice in a 7-0 home win over the Whites last season.
Squads and injured footballers
Leeds United
Lineup: Claesson; Christensen, Cooper, Koch, Struik; Rocca, Forshaw; Aaronson, Rodrigo, Harrison; Gelhard
Penalties: Adams
Injured: Dallas, Gray, Sinistera
Substitutes: Meslier, Bamford, Somerville, Rodrigo, Cooper, Harrison, Klich
Manchester City
Lineup: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodry, De Bruyne; B. Silva, Haaland, Foden
Out: Phillips, Alvarez
Injured: Diaz
League standings and form
| # | Team | M | P | R | H | OG | DG | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 12 | 40 | |
| 2 | Newcastle | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 32 | 11 | 33 | |
| 3 | Man City | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 40 | 14 | 32 | |
| 4 | Tottenham | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 23 | 30 | |
| 5 | Man Utd | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 20 | 26 | |
| 6 | Liverpool | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 18 | 25 | |
| 7 | Brighton | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 20 | 24 | |
| 8 | Fulham | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 27 | 26 | 22 | |
| 9 | Chelsea | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 17 | 21 | |
| 10 | Brentford | 16 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 25 | 27 | 20 | |
| 11 | Palace | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 19 | |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 18 | |
| 13 | Leicester | 16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 28 | 17 | |
| 14 | Bournemouth | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 16 | |
| 15 | Leeds | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 26 | 15 | |
| 16 | West Ham | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 20 | 14 | |
| 17 | Everton | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 19 | 14 | |
| 18 | Wolves | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 25 | 13 | |
| 19 | Nottingham | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 30 | 13 | |
| 20 | Southampton | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 30 | 12 |
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