Manchester City v Leicester City: Blues Two Wins from Title as Rodgers’ Men Look to Spoil the Party
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Pep Guardiola’s side currently lead Liverpool by one point with just two league games left before the end of a record breaking Premier League season. Liverpool have already gained 91 points so far in this campaign, and that total alone would have been enough to win the title in all-but three seasons since the Premier League’s inception back in 1992.
However, Manchester City and their current team has changed the landscape of English football, with their sheer dominance and total focus to churn out victory after victory. Leicester City are their final home game of their season on Monday night – kick: off 20:00 BST – and although the Foxes are in excellent recent form themselves under new boss, Brendan Rodgers, it would take a brave punter to back against the Sky Blues from winning once again in front of their home support.
Event date: 6 May, 2019
Match Odds
The bookmakers believe Leicester’s task to gain a vital away win at the Etihad Stadium is an almost impossible ask, as Manchester City are a very prohibitive price to claim all three points in this contest.
Ladbrokes offer the best available odds on Pep Guardiola’s men of just 1/6 for the Citizens to continue their irrepressible recent form in quest of a repeat of Premier League glory. The Draw is best-priced at 15/2 with Unibet and 888Sport, while an unlikely away victory for the Foxes should be taken with Unibet once again at the huge top price at the time of writing of 20/1.
Perhaps those odds on a Leicester win are not so big though. City have won 17 of their 18 home Premier League games this season, with only a 3-2 defeat against Crystal Palace being their only negative result.
Leicester can come into this game with plenty of confidence and belief, however. Last Sunday’s 3-0 home demolition of top four chasing Arsenal was indicative of some of the Foxes recent performances under former Liverpool boss Rodgers, and Leicester’s vibrant young team could offer problems to Guardiola and his team.
All things considered, Manchester City cannot be backed at such prohibitive odds, yet I’m unable to ultimately see anything other than a victory for the Sky Blues in their current form. They’ve been down the road of winning titles in the past, and they can win this game before securing the title next Sunday.
Individual Goal Scorers
Manchester City striker, Sergio Aguero trails Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah by just one goal in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot, but he could move nearer to his rival by scoring first in this game. Betfred offer the top price of 3/1 for the Argentinian hot-shot to continue his fine scoring run, following his decisive goal against Burnley last weekend.
Fellow City striker, Gabriel Jesus, has been put into a back-up role to the Argentinian hotshot recently, but Guardiola could decide to start the Brazilian star – in a striking tandem with Aguero. Jesus can be backed at 7/2 with Ladbrokes and William Hill to open the scoring. It would be a sensible decision to check the teams before kick off however, to see if he is in the starting eleven before placing any wager.
Leicester’s first interest in the opening goal scorer market comes from Jamie Vardy, who is a 23/2 shot, with Unibet and SportPesa. The former England man has quality that can give any defence serious problems, so City will have to be on their guard to keep him quiet. A double haul against Arsenal last Sunday highlighted his strong recent form.
A couple of others to consider at bigger prices are City’s German midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan who has popped up with some crucial goals at specific times already this season and is worthy of consideration at 21/2 with 10BET and 888Sport. Leicester’s James Maddison could stamp his authority on this game as the England under-21 midfielder has undoubted quality. At the best industry price of 22/1 with Betfred, he is definitely worth a second glance.
Other Side Bets
Short-price punters could be tucking into the 1/3 on offer with Betfred for Over 2.5 Goals in this game. On this occasion however, I’m prepared to risk the extra goal as this fixture looks ripe for goal action at both ends of the pitch. My advice is to take the 5/6 on offer with Unibet and 888Sport for Over 3.5 Goals, as this game could well be a goal fest.
With a high scoring game in our thoughts, our main offering for this game is for Manchester City to win the match and Both Teams to Score for added value. Betway and 888Sport offers the top price for this bet at the odds of 6/4.
Manchester City are obviously a very formidable outfit on home soil in games that really matter – and this fixture is one that is a must win. Guardiola’s side will have the majority of possession, and it is likely to ultimately tell, but Leicester will pose a threat on the counter attack and can join their opponents on the scoresheet.
As is often with these previews, we like to offer up a Correct Score bet for a small stakes option to give a nice reward if successful. Our selection for this game is a 3-1 win for Manchester City, Betfred is the place to find the best odds of 10/1 here.
Best Bets:
- Over 3.5 Goals in the Match at 5/6 with Unibet
- Manchester City to Win the Match and Both Teams to Score at 6/4 with Betway
- Manchester City 3-1 Leicester City Correct Score bet at 10/1 with Betfred.