Leeds vs Man City LIVE: Premier League team news and line-ups as Foden and Cancelo benched

After Arsenal’s Boxing Day victory over West Ham the pressure is back on Manchester City to regain lost ground on the current Premier League leaders. Pep Guardiola’s men come into the match sitting third in the table and eight points behind the Gunners although they have a game in hand on the London club.

The 2021/22 champions are still the favourites to go on and win the title but this season they face the challenge of chasing down a team above them instead of leading the way. City’s first match back following the World Cup break saw them overcome Liverpool 3-2 in the Carabao Cup fourth round with striker Erling Haaland on target once again despite not playing for six weeks.

Their opponents tonight are Jesse Marsch’sLeeds United who are looking to further distance themselves from the relegation zone. The Whites are just two points above the drop zone but they do have a couple of games in hand on the eight teams around them in the bottom half of the table. Can they shock Manchester City at Elland Road tonight?

Follow all the action with our live blog below:

Leeds vs Man City

Leeds host Manchester City in the Premier League with kick off at 8pm

City chasing down Arsenal for top spot in table as Leeds look to push away from relegation zone

Illan Meslier starts but Tyler Adams is suspended as Man City’s Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden start on bench

Leeds XI: Meslier, Kristensen, Struijk, Cooper, Koch, Roca, Forshaw, Greenwood, Aaronson, Gnonto, Rodrigo

Man City XI: Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Stones, Ake, Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish

Leeds United FC – Manchester City FC

Leeds vs Man City

19:58 , Michael Jones

Here come the teams. Liam Cooper strides out at the head of the Leeds United line with Ilkay Gundogan captaining Manchester City this evening.

Leeds will give this one a good go but on paper Manchester City should have enough firepower to get themselves three points.

Kick off is up next…

A dynamic duo

19:53 , Michael Jones

Story continues

Rodrigo and Crysencio Summerville both scored in each of Leeds’ final four league matches before the World Cup. It was the first time a pair of team-mates had netted in four successive Premier League games.

Rodrigo starts for the hosts tonight but Summerville will have to make an impact off the bench.

Kevin De Bruyne tips ‘unique’ Erling Haaland to join Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s exclusive club

19:49 , Michael Jones

Kevin de Bruyne believes Erling Haaland’s obsession with goals he means he could join Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the select group of footballers who have scored 800 times in his career by the time he hangs up his boots.

The Norwegian has made a spectacular start to his Manchester City by scoring 24 goals in 19 games and, at the age of just 22, has already scored 200 goals for clubs and country.

De Bruyne, who has established a fine understanding with Haaland since the striker’s summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund, thinks he has the ability to quadruple that tally before he retires.

Ronaldo has scored the most goals in the history of professional football, with 819 goals for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal, with Messi not far behind him.

De Bruyne tips ‘unique’ Haaland to join Messi and Ronaldo’s exclusive club

Back-to-back defeats for City?

19:45 , Michael Jones

Manchester City are aiming to avoid losing consecutive league games for the first time since December 2018 following their 2-1 defeat to Brentford before the World Cup break.

Yet, Pep Guardiola has lost eight Premier League matches as a manager in December, at least twice as many as in any other month.

Can Leeds defeat the Premier League champions?

19:41 , Michael Jones

Jesse Marsch’s side have won three of their seven home league fixtures this season, only one fewer than their total number of victories at Elland Road last term.

But, their most recent Premier League home win against the reigning champions was a 1-0 victory versus Arsenal in May 1999.

Erling Haaland will not be ‘contaminated’ by Leeds’ nice words, says Pep Guardiola

19:37 , Michael Jones

Pep Guardiola does not expect Erling Haaland to be softened up by any nice words from Leeds ahead of his return to the city of his birth.

The prolific Norwegian will be the centre of attention even more than usual on Wednesday as Manchester City resume their Premier League title defence at Elland Road.

Haaland, who has scored 24 goals in just 19 appearances for City, was born in the West Yorkshire city in 2000 during his father Alf-Inge’s three-year spell as a defender with the Whites.

He grew up supporting Leeds – as well as City, where Alf-Inge subsequently played – and the encounter is sure to be a poignant one for the Haaland family.

Erling Haaland will not be ‘contaminated’ by Leeds’ nice words, says Pep Guardiola

Leeds must get lucky to stop Erling Haaland scoring on first trip home, acknowledges Jesse Marsch

19:33 , Michael Jones

Jesse Marsch admitted Leeds United will need luck on their side to stop Erling Haaland from scoring on Wednesday when Manchester City visit Elland Road.

Marsch spent a year as Haaland’s head coach at RB Salzburg after the Norwegian’s move from Molde in early 2019 and says having the inside track could also be beneficial.

The Leeds boss said: “Yeah, it will help us I think a little bit. It will motivate him on the day a little bit, but it will motivate me as well. The time I had with Erling was just outstanding and we had an incredible relationship.

Leeds must get lucky to stop Haaland scoring on first trip home, admits Marsch

Will Man City score away from home?

19:29 , Michael Jones

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have not scored from open play in any of their last four away matches in all competitions. Can they break that duck tonight?

Leaky Leeds

19:25 , Michael Jones

Leeds United are one goal short of equalling the club Premier League record for most goals conceded in a calendar year: 70 in 2003.

(Getty Images)

Jesse Marsch believes Leeds return will see Kalvin Phillips thrive

19:21 , Michael Jones

Jesse Marsch believes an emotional first return to Elland Road for Kalvin Phillips could bring out the best in the former Leeds midfielder.

Phillips’ place in Manchester City’s squad for Wednesday’s Premier League clash is in doubt after Pep Guardiola revealed last week that he had returned overweight from World Cup duty.

But Marsch feels the 27-year-old would be inspired by an appearance back at his boyhood club following his £45million summer transfer.

Jesse Marsch believes Leeds return will see Kalvin Phillips thrive

Comeback kings

19:17 , Michael Jones

Manchester City are the only side in the last 13 seasons to not be top on Christmas Day but still go on to lift the title, having done so on three occasions in 2013/14, 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Will they add a fourth title winning season to this statistic by the end of this current campaign?

Leeds vs Man City team changes

19:12 , Michael Jones

Jesse Marsch makes two changes to the Leeds United side that lost 4-3 to Tottenham last time out with Sam Greenwood and Adam Forshaw coming in to replace Crysencio Summerville and the suspended Tyler Adams.

There are three changes to Manchester City’s line-up from the team that defeated Liverpool in the Carabao Cup fourth round. Ederson returns in goal with John Stones replacing Aymeric Laporte in defence and Jack Grealish given the nod ahead of Cole Palmer in the forward line.

Joao Cancelo and Phil Foden start on the bench.

Leeds vs Man City line-ups

19:00 , Michael Jones

Leeds XI: Meslier, Kristensen, Struijk, Cooper, Koch, Roca, Forshaw, Greenwood, Aaronson, Gnonto, Rodrigo

Man City XI: Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Stones, Ake, Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish

Man City vs Liverpool: Police appeal for witnesses after girl wounded by cup weighed down by coins

18:55 , Michael Jones

Police are appealing for witnesses after a girl suffered an inch-long laceration to her head during Manchester City’s Carabao Cup match with Liverpool last week.

The 15-year-old girl was sitting among home supporters in the South Stand of the Etihad Stadium on Thursday 22 December when she was struck by a hard plastic cup weighed down with coins, believed to have been thrown from a section of Liverpool fans sitting in the upper tier.

The cup shattered on impact and left her bleeding from a deep gash to the head. She was taken to hospital for medical attention.

Her father later submitted a picture of his daughter’s bloodied City scarf and told the Manchester Evening News that she would be “scarred for life” by the injury. He also said he had been contacted by Liverpool’s chief executive, Billy Hogan, who apologised for the incident.

Man City vs Liverpool: Police appeal for witnesses after girl wounded by cup of coins

Leeds vs Man City

18:51 , Michael Jones

Leeds United’s final two league games before the World Cup were a 4-3 home win against Bournemouth and a 4-3 defeat at Tottenham. They came back from 3-1 down versus the Cherries and were ahead three times at Spurs before losing.

What do Jesse Marsch’s men have in sotre for us tonight?

‘Overweight’ Kalvin Phillips warned over Manchester City return by Pep Guardiola

18:47 , Michael Jones

Pep Guardiola has revealed he dropped Kalvin Phillips because the midfielder came back from the World Cup overweight and has told him he will not play for Manchester City again until he is in the correct shape.

The 27-year-old was a notable absentee from City’s 3-2 Carabao Cup win over Liverpool when Guardiola named other members of England’s World Cup squad – John Stones, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden – on the bench and brought three of them on.

And Guardiola has said the summer signing was not in the right condition to play as he told him to lose weight.

“He’s not injured,” he said. “He arrived overweight. I don’t know [why]. He didn’t arrive in the condition to do training sessions and to play.”

‘Overweight’ Kalvin Phillips warned over Man City return by Pep Guardiola

Leeds vs Man City

18:42 , Michael Jones

Manchester City scored 11 goals without reply against Leeds last season, winning 7-0 at home and 4-0 at Elland Road.

If they triumph tonight they will win three consecutive league matches versus Leeds for the first time since a run of four from 1980 to 1983.

Man City looking to ‘hit ground running’ as they resume title defence at Leeds

18:38 , Michael Jones

Manchester City have ground to make up as they resume their Premier League title defence with a trip to Leeds United on Wednesday.

The champions went into the World Cup break trailing leaders Arsenal by five points – a gap that has increased to eight following the Gunners’ Boxing Day win over West Ham.

City returned to action with an upbeat performance in a 3-2 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup last week and now hope to maintain the momentum.

Man City looking to ‘hit ground running’ as they resume title defence at Leeds

No Foden for City?

18:33 , Michael Jones

Some early reports speculate that Manchester City will start tonight’s match without Joao Cancelo, Kyle Walker, and Phil Foden. The official team news will be dropping in around half an hour so it’ll be interesting to see how Pep Guardiola lines up his team.

(REUTERS)

Leeds vs Man City prediction

18:30 , Michael Jones

A tricky return to league action for Pep Guardiola’s team, who have tended to struggle up against an energetic Leeds team in the past.

Yet the selection issues the hosts have – coupled with City’s squad depth – means Jesse Marsch’s side will be firmly up against it this time round.

Leeds 1-4 Manchester City.

Leeds vs Man City predicted line-ups

18:25 , Michael Jones

Leeds: Klaesson; Kristensen, Cooper, Koch, Struijk; Roca, Forshaw; Aaronson, Rodrigo, Harrison; Gelhardt

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; B. Silva, Haaland, Foden

Leeds vs Man City early team news

18:20 , Michael Jones

Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier should be fit enough to start after a recent bout of glandular fever but Tyler Adams is suspended after his red card against Spurs before the World Cup break.

Manchester City’s Ruben Dias is out for a month due to a hamstring injury, while Kalvin Phillips will not feature due to concerns over his fitness.

Julian Alvarez is also missing from the squad after being given time off to celebrate Argentina’s World Cup victory.

How to watch Leeds vs Man City

18:15 , Michael Jones

The game will be played at 8:00pm (GMT) on Wednesday 28th December at Elland Road.

This match will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video. That means while it’s not on a terrestrial or digital TV channel, it can be streamed via any TV or device which has access to the Prime Video app or desktop website.

If you’re not an Amazon Prime Video subscriber start a free 30-day trial here. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Leeds vs Man City

17:55 , Michael Jones

Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s footballing action as Leeds host Manchester City in the Premier League.

Jesse Marsch’s are looking to rediscover the form that saw Leeds defeat Liverpool and Bournemouth in back-to-back games a couple of months ago. Those wins propelled them up the table and his given the club a two point cushion to play with as they look to avoid relegation. Their last outing before the World Cup break was a heated 4-3 loss to Tottenham but Leeds put in a spirited performance and will need to do the same against Man City tonight.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s men are hoping to close the gap on Arsenal back to five points but they’ll need a victory this evening to do so. Dropped points at this stage of the competition could prove crucial in the Premier League title race a few months down the line. City got their domestic campaign back underway with a 3-2 Carabao Cup win over Liverpool last time out and will be hoping to replicate that performance against Leeds.

Kick off for this game is at 8pm and we’ll have all the build-up, team news and updates from Elland Road.