FIVE years on from the Premier League trophy famously slipping out of Brendan Rodgers hands the new Leicester City boss could all but gift-wrap his former side Liverpool their first league title in almost three decades.
Rodgers may have hit the ground running following his shock £9m move from Celtic, however the bookies firmly believe that Manchester City will stall his stellar start on Monday night.
The flying Foxes are a soaring 16/1 (BetVictor) for an Etihad victory and as high as 8/1 (bet365) to take a point off the title-chasing Citizens. With no margin for error, Manchester City are a general 2/11 with most firms to reclaim top spot in the the table.
The short price on offer for a home win is hardly surprising with Pep Guardiola's side having won 17 out of 18 at home in the Premier League. One final Etihad success for this season will put the hosts on the brink of back-to-back titles.
Be that as it may, City had to sweat for all three points last Sunday against a stubborn Burnley side, with a scrambled Sergio Aguero goal proving to be decisive. It was a nervy 90 minutes for the Citizens and following Liverpool's pulsating three points on Saturday night, the pressure is back on for Pep's men in this tantalising title race.
Standing in the Citizens' way of a return to the summit is a rejuvenated Leicester City side who have won five of their eight games under Rodgers stewardship. Furthermore, the Foxes most impressive display of the Rodgers revolution came last weekend when they crushed Arsenal 3-0 at the King Power Stadium.
Consequently, Leicester could still finish the season in seventh spot and be the”best of the rest”outside of the Premier League's resident top six. What's more, Leicester have found the net nine times on the road under Rodgers, so the Foxes will fancy their chances of giving Manchester City a Monday night fright.
Manchester City have however registered three consecutive clean sheets in their last three Premier League outings, but I fancy the free flowing Foxes to find success in front of goal against the champions
Leicester can be lethal on the counter attack with their youthfulness and pace, not to mention the fact they have only failed to score once under Rodgers. Manchester City on the other hand almost always score, so backing both teams t socore could pay dividends at 20/23 (BoyleSports).
In considering who may hit the back of the net, the visitors will look to their talisman Jamie Vardy for inspiration. The Foxes frontman has flourished under Rodgers and is a towering 12/1 (Bet 365) to find the net first and is an equally attractive 3/1 (Bet 365) to score anytime .
Unsurprisingly, Aguero is 3/1 (William Hill) favourite to the fire in the first goal but a more protected punt to consider is for Raheem Sterling to rack up his 24th strike of the season. Back Sterling to continue his fabulous form and add to his impressive tally of goals by netting at anytime at 5/6 (Ladbrokes).
In trying to keep out Sterling and co, some of the Foxes fielded by Rodgers could well find their way into the referees notebook. A good candidate to consider for a card is Leicester's combative midfielder Wilfried Ndidi. The Nigerian is no stranger to a booking and can be backed to receive his 9th card of the season at 3/1 (Unibet).
Yet, Ndidi and his Leicester teammates could well make this a nailbiting night for Pep Guardiola who will be very wary of the Foxes threat on the counter attack. Although I fancy the visitors to score, I don't think it will be enough to stop the Citizens from securing 13 league wins on the spin.
Therefore, an alternative approach to consider in finding value in a home may be to back Manchester City To Win And Both Teams To Score at 6/4 (Betway).
Man City will have to work hard to remain masters of their own destiny, however their superior quality should put them in pole position to retain the Premier League.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Leicester City will be played on May 6, 2019 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Leicester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
