Weak margins separate Manchester City and Liverpool in the race for the English Premier League title. City are only one point ahead, which means every game played is the decisive one, especially a tough visit to Elland Road against a team that avoids elimination. Pep Guardiola may not be able to rotate his side as much as he would like to keep his players in Wednesday’s second leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League (Paramount+).
Since Jesse Marsh took charge, Leeds have escaped the relegation zone by winning three of their seven matches. Their 11 points total under Marsh is an impressive total considering they only racked up 23 points in 26 games under Marcelo Bielsa and are only two points away from redemption. That’s all to say, Leeds cannot be treated as a fast team under Marsh so City’s game will be even tougher than expected.
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How do you monitor the odds?
Date: Saturday 30th April | time: 12:30 p.m. Eastern time
locationIsland Road – Leeds, West Yorkshire
TV: NBC | Live broadcast: fuboTV (Free trial)
coincidence: Leeds United +900; draw +450; Man City-335 (via Caesar Sportsbook)
conspiracies
Leeds United: The only serious injury Leeds United face is that Patrick Bamford is still on the bench. He might be back in training next week, but since he’s been in and out all season, Jesse Marsh will want to slow things down. Tyler Roberts and Adam Furshaw will miss the rest of the season, but with options in depth, young prospects are willing to step forward to take their place.
Manchester Defensively, it will be a tough game for City as John Stones and Kyle Walker are set to miss the match. Guardiola could play with Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko as linebackers, but he could turn one of them around with Nathan Ake on his feet. Outside of the missing defenders, City are in good health. Walker will be a concern as he could be out of season but the team has no confirmation yet.
prediction
City will want to deal with this soon so they can rest the Real Madrid players, so I expect a quick start, but Leeds will push them. Choose: Leeds United 1, Manchester City 2
