WHO: Leicester City vs. Manchester City
What: English Premier League
Or: King Power Stadium, Leicester, United Kingdom
When: 12:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. GMT) Sunday
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Pep Guardiola insists he will not leave struggling Manchester City as he strives to halt the champions’ staggering decline.
The Spaniard, whose team travels to Leicester City on Sunday, only recently signed a two-year contract extension but City’s dismal form has raised questions about their future. A nightmare race nine defeats in 13 matcheswith just one win during this dismal period, has sparked suggestions that the City boss may decide to resign if he cannot find an answer to his team’s problems.
Having led City to six Premier League titles in the last seven seasons, however, Guardiola is adamant he still wants to turn things around.
“I’ll try, I’ll keep going. Sometimes you think a bad streak will be over sooner or it will be easier to fix it, but it takes longer,” he told reporters before Sunday’s game. “I’m not going to not give up. I want to be here. I want to do it and, given the situation we find ourselves in, we must do it.
“Of course I want it, everyone wants it. I don’t want to disappoint my people in terms of the club, the supporters, the people who love this club. I think all of us in our work want to do things well and please people. It’s undeniable, it’s not a question mark.
“The biggest test is coming back, but we’ve already done that.”
Guardiola won’t criticize City’s crisis
Injuries have been a major factor in City’s decline, leaving them languishing in seventh place in the Premier League.
Most notably, the gaping hole left by Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, as he recovering from long-term knee injury. Matters were also not helped by the erratic form during an inconsistent season of the usually prolific Erling Haaland, who missed a penalty that could have sealed a City victory against Everton in their last game.
Haaland has scored just once in his last seven games, but Guardiola refused to blame the Norwegian striker or any of his teammates.
“I didn’t learn in my upbringing to start complaining, to point fingers at people. It happened, that’s life, that’s football, so let’s try again,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve had success, because it’s never enough, we’re going to try again and again.” That’s why we won a lot of titles.
“Every three days it was a game and winning, winning, winning for many, many months and years. Now we have to do the same thing when the results are not good.
Lots of movement ⬆️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yumQgXPdfA
–Premierleague (@premierleague) December 28, 2024
City still have fitness doubts over several players as they try to get back to winning ways against struggling Leicester, who have won just one of their last 11 games.
“Sometimes you have injuries,” Guardiola said. “For how many years we were incredibly consistent, but now, yes, we are a bit behind and the main reason is the number of important players injured.
“But I saw the team spirit, the way we practiced this week, how focused they are, how they try to practice.”
Leicester City team news
Jordan Ayew suspended after the striker was booked for the fifth time this season in the defeat to Liverpool in Leicester’s last outing.
Captain Jamie Vardy should be fit to return after a minor knock, but Wout Faes is once again lacking in defense.
Man City team news
Long-term absentee Rodri was joined on the sidelines by Ruben Dias, John Stones, Ederson, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes for the 1-1 draw against Everton.
Face to face
This is the 128th meeting between the clubs, with City having won on 64 occasions, while Leicester took the spoils after 32 meetings.
City have won the last five league meetings, scoring 10 goals in the last three, while Leicester were only able to break that streak with a Community Shield victory following the 2020-21 season.
Leicester’s last league victory came during this campaign with a 5-2 victory at City, and included a Vardy hat-trick. The reverse match at the King Power Stadium resulted in a 2-0 scoreline which gave City all three points and began their current dominant run against the Foxes in the league.
Where is your team currently located?#FestiveFixations pic.twitter.com/AT9MZPPnz2
–Premierleague (@premierleague) December 28, 2024
