MANCHESTER, Sporting Alert – Team news and starting lineups for the Barclays English Premier League top of the table clash between Leicester City and Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.
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Leaders Leicester City are unchanged from the starting lineup that began in the 2-0 win over Liverpool in the last outing.
This means, as expected Shinji Okazaki and Jamie Vardy will continue to lead the attack for the Foxes, who start this game three points ahead of the Citizens and will be hoping to extend that advantage over their fellow title rivals with a win on the road.
Goalscoring midfield playmaker Riyad Mahrez, as well as Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante and Marc Albrighton will all start as well while Wes Morgan and Robert Huth will be hoping to keep dangerman Sergio Aguero quiet throughout the contest.
Meanwhile, second place Manchester City have made four changes from the side that started in the 1-0 victory over Sunderland the last time out.
Forward Raheem Sterling, midfielder Fabian Delph and full-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov all come into the starting lineup for today’s battle.
Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Kelechi Iheanacho are among the players on the bench today for the Citizens, who can go top of the standings with a victory.
Former Leicester City and Aston Villa forward Dion Dublin believes Vardy and Okazaki will be very difficult for Otamendi and Demichelis to handle.
“Manchester City have to stop Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki, their movement is outstanding,” Dublin said on Football Focus.
“I can not see Nicolás Otamendi and Martín Demichelis dealing with them.
“I can not see Nicolás Otamendi and Martín Demichelis dealing with them.
“Vardy goes into positions that centre-halves do not want. This match is about the centre-halves against defence for me.”
Manchester City: Hart, Kolarov, Otamendi, Demichelis, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Delph, Sterling, Yaya Toure, Silva, Agüero. Subs: Caballero Sagna, Clichy, Fernando, Celina, Aleix García, Iheanacho.
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Simpson, Fuchs, Morgan, Huth, Mahrez, Albrighton, Kanté, Drinkwater, Okazaki, Vardy. Subs: Schwarzer, Wasilewski, Chilwell, Gray, Dyer, King, Leonardo Ulloa.
