Leicester City vs Man City: EPL preview, team news, how to follow, stream | Football News

WHO: Leicester City vs Manchester City
What: English Premier League
Where: King Power Stadium, Leicester, Great Britain
When: 12:30 (12:30 GMT) on Sunday
Follow Al Jazeera’s live text and photo coverage and commentary coverage.

Pep Guardiola insists he will not leave troubled Manchester City as he seeks to halt the champions’ stunning slump.

The Spaniard, whose team visits Leicester City on Sunday, only recently signed a two-year contract extension but City’s dismal form has prompted questions over his future. Running from a nightmare nine losses in 13 gameswith just one win in that miserable spell, it has sparked suggestions that the City boss could decide to resign if he can’t find an answer to his squad’s problems.

However, after guiding City to six Premier League titles in the past seven seasons, Guardiola is adamant he still has the hunger to turn things around.

“I will try, I will continue. “Sometimes you think that a bad streak will end sooner or that it would be easier to fix, but it takes more time,” he told reporters ahead of Sunday’s game. “I will not give up. I want to be here. I want to do it and, in the situation we are in, we have to do it.

“Of course I want it, everyone wants it. I don’t want to disappoint my people regarding the club, the fans, the people who love this club. I think that all of us in our work want to do it well and to please people. It is undeniable, it is not a question mark.

“The biggest test is to come back again, but we’ve done that before.”

Guardiola will not criticize in the City crisis

Injuries have been a major factor in City’s decline, which has seen them languish in seventh place in the Premier League.

Especially, the gaping hole left by Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, as he is is recovering from a long-term knee injury. Matters were not helped by the erratic form of an inconsistent season from the usually prolific Erling Haaland, who missed a penalty that could have sealed City’s win against Everton in their last game.

Haaland has scored just once in his last seven games, but Guardiola refused to blame the Norwegian forward or any of his team-mates.

“I don’t have it in my education to start complaining, to point at people. It happened, that’s life, that’s football, so let’s try again,” he said.

“That’s why we had success, because it’s not always enough, we’ll try again and again and again. That’s why we won many titles.

“Every three days it was a game and win, win, win for many, many months and years. Now we have to do the same when the results are not good.”

Lots of movement ⬆️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yumQgXPdfA

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 28, 2024

City still have doubts about the fitness of several players as they try to get back to winning ways at struggling Leicester, who have won just one of their last 11

“Sometimes you have injuries,” Guardiola said. “We’ve been incredibly consistent over the years, but now, yes, we’re in a bit of a slump and the main reason is that we’ve got so many important players injured.

“But I saw the team spirit, how we practiced this week, how focused they are, how they try to practice.”

Leicester City team news

Jordan Ayew, who was suspended after the forward was booked for the fifth time this season during Leicester’s last game defeat to Liverpool.

Captain Jamie Vardy should be ready to return after a minor knock, but Wout Faes misses out in defense again.

Man City squad news

The long-term absentee Rodrigo was joined by Ruben Dias, John Stones, Ederson, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes in the 1-1 draw with Everton.

Head to head

This is the 128th meeting between the clubs, of which City have won 64 times, while Leicester have taken the spoils after 32 meetings.

City have won their last five league matches, scoring 10 goals in the last three of them, while Leicester could only end that run by winning the Community Shield after their 2020-21 title-winning season.

Leicester’s last league win came in that campaign with a 5-2 victory at City, which included a hat-trick from Vardy. The reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium resulted in a 2-0 scoreline that gave City the three points and started their current dominant run over the Foxes in the league.

Where is your side currently?#FestiveFixtures pic.twitter.com/AT9MZPPnz2

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 28, 2024