Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
In a tale of two cities at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s Premier League title chasers take on Brendan Rodgers’ early pace setters in a showpiece fixture between two of the division’s most impressive outfits.
Leicester, who are sitting pretty at the summit of the table with two wins from two, arrive in Manchester as the Premier League’s early pace setters, though a date with a free-scoring Man City team is a huge step up in quality from the opponents the Foxes have faced so far.
The dethroned champions have wrongs to right and scores to settle this season, and their 3-1 win at Wolves in their first Premier League fixtures of the new campaign on Monday had all the hallmarks of a team ready to fight tooth and nail for silverware in 2020/21.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash between two in-form teams, we’ve picked out a 70/1 six-fold selection with Betfair’s #OddsOnThat. We forecast an entertaining clash given the vast array of attacking talent on show and that has given us a massively priced pick for the showdown at the Etihad Stadium.
Remember – you can find a more comprehensive analysis of the game with our expert’s verdict and betting tips in our Manchester City vs Leicester City predictions.
What is Betfair’s #OddsOnThat?
Betfair’s #OddsOnThat feature allows you create a customised multiples bet based on your own unique picks ahead of a particular football match.
You can choose from a huge variety of markets and once you have decided on your selection, you can request a price for your acca from Betfair on Twitter using the #OddsOnThat hashtag.
Want to add FST’s 70/1 selection straight to your betslip? Check it out below:
FST’s Manchester City vs Leicester #OddsOnThat
Manchester City to win
Man City closed out the previous campaign in blisteringly hot form at home, winning 10 and drawing one of their final 11 Premier League fixtures at the Etihad in what was a powerful surge over the finish line.
The Citizens kicked off that sparkling sequence with a 3-1 win over Leicester City on December 21st last year, and having turned the Foxes over in each of their last three encounters with them overall, Pep Guardiola’s prolific team look favourites to triumph again.
Gabriel Jesus to score anytime
With Sergio Aguero on the sidelines for an extended spell, Brazilian hotshot Gabriel Jesus has a chance to establish himself as the focal point of Pep Guardiola’s attack.
The versatile forward notched goals home and away against Leicester City last season, and his double from 2019/20 should give Jesus’ confidence a jolt ahead of facing the Foxes again.
The 23-year-old already got off the mark for the new season at Wolves on Monday, and the talented technician is worth backing to make an impact on the scoresheet again.
Jamie Vardy to score anytime
Jamie Vardy’s record against the Premier League’s biggest and best is as good as anyone’s, and his nose for the big occasion makes him worth backing to find the net again this weekend.
The veteran hitman has plundered six goals against Man City since 2016, and the rapid centre-forward scored in two of his last three Premier League appearances against the Citizens at the Etihad Stadium.
With two goals to his name already this term, last season’s Golden Boot winner has momentum to go along with his habit of grabbing goals against Man City, and Vardy jumps off the page in the anytime goalscorer markets again.
Goal scored in both halves
Meetings between Man City and Leicester at the Etihad Stadium have consistently produced the goal-scoring goods, and the net rippled a full 20 times in that enthralling sextet of Premier League encounters since 2015.
In five of those six hugely entertaining affairs, goals were scored in both halves, and in the teams’ most recent Manchester meet in December last year, the four successful efforts on goal arrived either side of the half time interval.
With plenty of penalty area drama anticipated again for Man City and Leicester’s latest skirmish on Sunday’s, we expect to see both halves marked by goals.
De Bruyne 3 or more shots
2019/20’s PFA Players’ Player of the year Kevin de Bruyne looked every inch an award winner in Man City’s 3-1 triumph at Wolves on Monday, and the Belgian made his considerable presence felt on every blade of grass on the Molineux pitch.
Alongside making more successful tackles (five) and playing more key passes than any other player involved (six), de Bruyne topped the charts for attempts on goal racked up (four) to complete his incredibly dominant display in midfield.
The brilliant Belgian hit seven shots in total in his two Premier League appearances against Leicester last season, and with the 29-year-old also on penalty duty in 2020/21, his chances of firing his way past our targeted attempts figure this weekend feel high.
Nampalys Mendy to be carded
With key holding midfielder Wilfred Ndidi ruled out and facing a lengthy layoff, French anchorman Nampalys Mendy will have to shoulder extra defensive responsibility for Leicester on Sunday.
The 28-year-old, who was cautioned in his last appearance in the Foxes’ 4-2 win over Burnley a week ago, also committed more fouls than any other Leicester player (two) against the Clarets, and against a very forward-thinking Man City side at the Etihad, Mendy will have tackles to make and counters to stop by any means necessary.
More FST News:
Premier League stat attack with 27/1 acca
Premier League cards and corners betting tips for Saturday’s action (with 12/1 acca!)
