MY ACCOUNT
Dean Smith is hoping James Maddison can replicate Jack Grealish and ensure Leicester City avoid relegation.
Smith, appointed as Leicester’s interim manager this week, faces his former Aston Villa charge Grealish when the Foxes take on Manchester City on Saturday.
Leicester sit 19th, with Smith tasked with keeping them in the league. He managed to stave off relegation with Villa in the 2019-20 season, with Maddison’s England team-mate Grealish playing a key role.
Maddison was at fault as Leicester lost 1-0 to Bournemouth last week, but with nine goals and six assists to his name in the league this term, is the Foxes’ key player.
Smith said: “James is an excellent footballer. He held his hands up after making a mistake but the first thing I asked him was why he was coming so deep to get the ball.
“The second thing I asked was why we had given him the ball when there was no forward pass for him to play.
“He will learn and get better but he is our second-top goalscorer this season. He can be a big player but we have to get him into areas where he can hurt the opposition, similar to what we did with Jack at Villa.”
City are six points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand, but Pep Guardiola knows his team cannot afford a slip-up.
Guardiola said: “Everybody knows that if we lose it is over. That is the best way to compete. In every football action, the players are feeling that they have to win a due or win an action because if not, they will lose.
“That is where you have the best [opportunity]. I have doubts about whether experience counts a lot for next time.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester City – Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne has assisted seven goals for Erling Haaland in the Premier League this season, the most by one City player for another in a single campaign. The Belgium international’s next assist will be his 100th for the club in the competition.
Leicester City – James Maddison
Maddison has scored in this exact fixture in each of the last two campaigns; only two visiting players have scored a Premier League goal at the Etihad Stadium in three consecutive seasons – Collins John (2004-05 to 2006-07) and Tim Cahill (2008-09 to 2010-11).
MATCH PREDICTION – MANCHESTER CITY WIN
Having lost seven of their last eight Premier League games (D1), Leicester have now been beaten in 19 league matches overall this term. Not since 2001-02 (20) have the Foxes lost 20+ league matches in one season, while should they lose against City, it will be the joint-second earliest they have ever hit 20 defeats in a Football League campaign (31st match, level with 1914-15), after only 1980-81 (30th).
Since losing 1-0 at Spurs in February, City have won seven of their last eight Premier League games (D1), including each of the last five in a row. They have scored 22 goals and conceded just six in this run, opening the scoring on seven occasions.
City have won 10 of their last 12 Premier League games against Leicester City (L2), winning the last four in a row since a 5-2 home defeat in September 2020.
OPTA PREDICTION
Manchester City – 75.1 per cent
Leicester City – 8.5 per cent
Draw – 16.4 per cent
