Leicester v Man City: Pep to out fox opponents

• Leicester have W0-D2-L7 against teams above them
• Man City are dominating the EPL data
• Goals expected to flow between attack-minded sides

Leicester efficient and effective

Ruthless Leicester picked up their first away Premier league win of the season as they beat Wolves 4-0 to move off the bottom of the table and out of the relegation zone. The Foxes were put under plenty of pressure - losing the shot count 21-5 at Molineux - but were efficient and effective in the final-third to seal a second successive victory.

Wolves had nine shots in the opening 20 minutes, but were trailing by two goals as Youri Tielemans put Leicester ahead with a stunning 22-yard strike and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall slotted home. Goalkeeper Danny Ward preserved the advantage with a string of fine saves before James Maddison struck from 18 yards and Jamie Vardy notched from close range.

"We are growing nicely, but there is a long way to go," said Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers following his side's third win in five games. "Collectively, we were very, very good. We carried a threat, and defensively we were excellent. Our pressing has been very good and all the goals were fantastic. Confidence will grow and we'll get better. Everybody is focused."

Wilfred Ndidi and Jonny Evans have returned to full training this week and should be available for Saturday, whilst Vardy and Dennis Praet are hoping for recalls after dropping to the bench against Wolves.

Man City denied in Dortmund

Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty as Manchester City played out a 0-0 draw at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night, meaning the Citizens have now succeeded just once across their last four games in all competitions. Nevertheless, the midweek stalemate saw City win their UCL group with a game to spare.

Last time out in Europe, Pep Guardiola's group drew 0-0 in Copenhagen, and then lost their unbeaten record to Liverpool in the league - before beating Brighton last week. The City boss opted to mixed things up with his line-up in Dortmund, giving a debut to 29-year-old keeper Stefan Ortega, who performed well to deny BVB in the first half.

But Erling Haaland was withdrawn at half-time after just 13 touches with Guardiola revealing afterwards that the Norwegian had a fever and a knock. Joao Cancelo was also taken off early, although City expect both players to be fit and available for Saturday's trip to the KP with Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker the only two confirmed absentees.

Julian Alvarez, who played behind Haaland, made his fourth start for the club, and was one of only three players to test home keeper Gregor Kobel - along with Ilkay Gundogan and Mahrez with his failed penalty. Nathan Ake headed a decent chance over, but City seemed content to play in second-gear, monopolising the ball but firing in just eight goal attempts.

Citizens strong favourites

Leicester have lost their last three meetings with Manchester City, and have been turned over in nine of their most recent 11 Premier League match-ups with the Citizens (W2-D0-L9). The Foxes have also suffered defeat in each of their past three King Power Stadium showdowns with Pep Guardiola's side, failing to even score in each reverse.

Leicester 11.0010/1 arrive unbeaten in each of their last three Premier League encounters (W2-D1-L0), keeping clean sheets in each. The Foxes have tabled back-to-back triumphs, however, all three of the hosts league victories this term have come against bottom-three opposition. Leicester have W0-D2-L7 when taking on teams above them in the table.

Manchester City 1.3130/100 have been flawless at The Etihad thus far yet the defending champions have posted just W2-D2-L1 on their Premier League travels. Still, the Citizens tend to be rock-solid operators when on the road at bottom-half opposition, returning W18-D3-L1 in such circumstances since the beginning of 2020/21, averaging 2.35 goals per-game.

Goals expected in KP encounter

Over 2.5 Goals 1.491/2 is understandably short considering we have the top two teams for goals per-game averages in the Premier League on show here. Leicester's first 12 fixtures have featured 3.75 goals with a 75% hit-rate for Over 2.5 Goals - half of those fixtures have produced four goals or more with the Foxes striking twice or more on seven occasions.

Man City's matches are averaging 4.27 goals as eight of 11 outings have broken the Over 2.5 Goals barrier and seven have cashed for Over 3.5 Goals supporters. The Citizens have conceded in six of their most recent nine EPL contests, recording a solitary shutout on their domestic travels since the opening weekend, suggesting goals could be on the agenda.

I'm therefore quite happy to back Man City to win, Over 2.5 Goals and Erling Haaland to Score at 1.981/1 quotes. The visitors are again projecting as the best team in the division (by a distance) and Haaland's record-breaking 17-goal haul from just 11 Premier League appearances for the Citizens is difficult to dismiss.