Manchester City will continue their push for Champions League qualification tonight as they host relegation strugglers Leicester City.
Leicester’s season has been far from easy and tonight will be no different, though their chances will be slightly improved as the hosts are set to be without their talisman striker Erling Haaland, who injured his left ankle in Sunday’s 1-2 FA Cup semi-final win over Bournemouth. Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will be out for up to seven weeks, meaning he will miss most if not all of City’s Premier League run in.
City are winless in the League since downing Tottenham 0-1 in February, losing to Nottingham Forest and drawing with Brighton since, though last weekend’s cup win will boost momentum and morale. Victory on Wednesday night would see them move into fourth place in a tightly contested race for Champions League qualification, though a loss could see them slip as low as ninth.
In the opposite corner, Leicester are staring down the barrel of immediate relegation after winning the Championship last campaign. Ruud van Nistelrooy has struggled to right the ship since being appointed in November, with the Foxes on a run of six straight league defeats.
To win against City would go a long way in trimming the nine-point deficit to safety, as fellow relegation candidates Ipswich Town, Southampton, and Wolves are all winless against City in league play this season.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Manchester City vs Leicester City is scheduled for a 7:45pm BST kick-off today, Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
The match will take place at the Etihad Stadium.
Where to watch Man City vs Leicester City
TV channel: In the UK, the game will not be televised live as broadcasters opt instead for the Merseyside Derby.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: The Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights, with Match of the Day broadcasting on BBC One at 10:40pm.
Man City vs Leicester City team news
The hosts will be without several players at the Etihad, most notably Haaland. The Norwegian striker has 21 league goals to his name so far this season but will miss out after sustaining an ankle injury against Bournemouth in last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final. He is set to miss up to seven weeks as he recovers, meaning his earliest possible return will be City’s final league match away to Fulham.
He joins a long list of injured City players. Among their number are Rodri, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and Oscar Bobb, all of whom are recovering from long-term issues.
Leicester are missing Abdul Fatawu and Harry Souttar, both of whom are out for the season. The latter ruptured his Achilles tendon on Boxing Day while on loan at Sheffield United.
Ricardo Pereira may return, though, in a boost for the Foxes after he aggravated a preexisting hamstring injury in March. Van Nistelrooy said he returned to training this week and the club will “see if he’s ready for Wednesday.”
Man City vs Leicester City prediction
As Leicester continue to flounder and Van Nistelrooy looks increasingly helpless at the helm, it is difficult to foresee anything other than a straightforward win for Guardiola’s rejuvenated City side.
After a battling cup win over Bournemouth in which they overcame a missed penalty and laboured to break down Andoni Iraola’s stubborn Cherries, they will be reinvigorated. With the home fans behind them and struggling Leicester opposite, Haaland’s absence should make little difference.
Man City 3-0 Leicester
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Man City wins: 45
Draws: 20
Leicester wins: 28
Man City vs Leicester City match odds today
Man City win: 1/7
Draw: 11/2
Leicester win: 14/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
