Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling all to start! – Predicted Team: Manchester City v Leeds United (Premier League)

Manchester City are back in action and aiming for 29 wins out of 30 on Saturday lunchtime, as Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United travel to the Etihad Stadium for a Premier League clash.

A victory would keep the Blues firmly in the driving seat for a fifth Premier League title, with the side hoping to extend the gap between themselves and second placed rivals Manchester United to 17 points with just six games to go until the end of the season.

Leeds will be making the short trip along the M62 in high spirits, with the West Yorkshire side comfortably sitting in 11th position in the Premier League table. The two sides haven’t faced one-another since Manchester City’s third fixture in the league season, where the Blues only managed to muster one point in a disappointing 1-1 draw.

Manchester City’s form has drastically changed since then however, remaining on the hunt for all four major trophies – with the FA Cup Semi-final against Chelsea, Carabao Cup final against Tottenham and potentially a Champions League Semi-final just around the corner.

Pep Guardiola opted to rest several key players in the last Premier League fixture against Leicester City, omitting the likes of Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden from the starting line-up in preparation for the Borussia Dortmund clash on Tuesday night.

With the second-leg against the Bundesliga outfit taking place just days after this weekend’s clash, it is somewhat expected for the Catalan boss to opt for a similar plan against Leeds, whilst having a fully fit squad to make his selection from.

Here is how we anticipate Pep Guardiola to set up the side against Leeds…

In goal, we should see the familiar face of Ederson, who is set to make his 31st Premier League appearance of the season. He will have to be more careful with the ball at his feet this time however, as he may not get the refereeing luck that he received in the Borussia Dortmund game.

Pep Guardiola is expected to rotate his squad considerably against Leeds given the magnitude of the return fixture in the Champions League looming. With that being said, we predict him to opt for Aymeric Laporte to regain his starting position in defence. The Frenchman is expected to pair up with Ruben Dias at the back, with the duo keeping yet another clean sheet against Leicester at the weekend.

Making his first start since the 5-2 thrashing of Southampton exactly one month ago, we expect Pep Guardiola to recall Oleksandr Zinchenko to the starting XI for the inverted left-back role. On the opposite side, we should see Kyle Walker in his usual right-back position.

We expect Pep Guardiola to opt for two natural holding midfielders against Leeds, being wary of the threat they possess on the counter-attack. In light of this, Fernandinho and Rodri should feature in the line-up. Should the tide turn Manchester City’s way during the game, expect Rodri to make way as an early substitute to be saved for midweek.

Considering the amount of games he has played for club and country recently, Kevin De Bruyne should earn a well-deserved rest, leaving space for Bernardo Silva to fit into the squad.

Pep Guardiola has a big task on his hands when it comes to selecting his attacking firepower for the game. Against Borussia Dortmund, the Catalan boss didn’t use a natural striker, leaving South American duo Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero watching from the side-lines. I am not expecting him to opt for the same tactic against Marcelo Bielsa’s side however, with Gabriel Jesus being a sensible option up-front, adding pace to the front line with the natural ability to create space behind the Leeds defence.

Raheem Sterling is set to make his way back on to the wing, after being left out of the starting side in both recent fixtures after the international break. The Englishman will be eager to impress the Manchester City hierarchy, given rumours of a new contract deal being just around the corner, and teammate Kevin De Bruyne becoming the highest paid Premier League star.

Completing the line-up against Leeds United this weekend, we predict Ferran Torres to make an appearance on the wing, offering some much-needed recovery time for the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden.

Substitutes: Zack Steffen, Phil Foden, Sergio Agüero, Riyad Mahrez, John Stones, Nathan Aké, Joao Cancelo, Benjamin Mendy and Kevin de Bruyne.

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