Manchester City travel to face Leicester City in, what's being described as, a 'Top of the Table clash'. Both sides desperate for all three points, in an attempt to bridge a gap between themselves and the chasing pack.
Despite falling to only their second defeat of the season, Leicester still found their name at the top of the Premier League until Arsenal won on Monday, the Gunners having played a game more. Whilst Man City are only three points behind them in third, a win would see them leapfrog Leicester on goal difference.
Cautious approach?
With this being possibly both sides' biggest game of the season so far, neither team will want to go out all guns blazing, in order to give nothing away to their opponent.
Neither of the two sides have been particularly defensively sound this season, conceding more goals than any other side in the top six. Whilst Leicester would've expected to concede a fair amount of goals, Man City fans will no doubt blame their poor defensive showing on the repeated absence of Vincent Kompany.
Kompany's inability to overcome a recurring calf problem has been apparent in the heart of the Citizens' defence. With him in the side (nine games) they've only conceded two goals, whilst in his absence (nine games) they have conceded 18 goals, averaging two goals a game without him. The captain's lack of appearances has no doubt accounted massively for his side's inconsistency so far and Manuel Pellegrini has highlighted just how much he's needed.
Claudio Ranieri's men have kept up the same approach all season long, which has been to sit back and soak up the pressure before launching a breathless counter attack with their abundance of pace. This may have been interpreted as a cautious approach but it has been done very cunningly and to devastating effect. However, due to the obvious threat of the away team's attack, this well-tested method probably won't be used to its full effect.
Pace in attack
Neither side has struggled to find goals so far this season and the main reason for this is the blistering pace that both teams possess in the attacking third.
The division's two joint-top scoring teams (37 goals each) have only failed to score in four games between them (Leicester- 1, Man City- 3). This would suggest that we're in for a high-scoring match on Tuesday evening and with the way that both teams have played this season, it wouldn't be a shock to see just that.
With the pace of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy in particular for the Foxes, a defence missing Kompany might struggle to handle the in-form pair as nearly every other Premier League defence has already. On the other hand, the pace of Raheem Sterling paired with the return of Sergio Aguero will possibly cause a lot of problems for Leicester's backline.
Team news
The home side's fans will be relieved to see that Jamie Vardy, who was substituted due to 'fever' against Liverpool, is back in the mix for a starting spot. Whilst one of their early-season heroes, Danny Drinkwater, might return to the midfield at the King Power Stadium. After a very poor showing in Leicester's first away loss of the season only a couple of days ago, the fans might expect a small amount of tinkering from the 'Tinkerman'.
It's very unlikely that Man City captain, Vincent Kompany, will play a part in the game after having to be replaced only minutes after coming on in the 4-1 victory over Sunderland. This leaves the likelihood of a pairing made up of Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi, which Citizens fans won't be best pleased with. A much-needed injury boost for their fans comes in the shape of a certain Sergio Aguero, who will be chomping at the bit to get back scoring for his team. Brazilian midfielder, Fernando, won't be prematurely rushed back into the team, which is also the case for Pablo Zabaleta at right-back.
Predicted XI's
Leicester City - Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Dyer, Kante, King, Mahrez; Ulloa, Vardy
Manchester City - Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho; De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero
