Evening Standard
·29 December 2024
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsEvening Standard
·29 December 2024
Both struggling sides will be desperate to end 2024 on a positive note at the King Power Stadium
Crisis-stricken Manchester City will try desperately to end their alarming slump in form and finish 2024 on a high note when they travel to struggling Leicester today.
It has been a remarkable and total collapse from the defending Premier League champions under Pep Guardiola, whose previously all-conquering side have now won just one of their last 13 matches.
Three consecutive defeats by Juventus, Manchester United and Aston Villa were followed by a frustrating 1-1 home draw with Everton on Boxing Day in which Bernardo Silva’s early goal was cancelled out and Erling Haaland saw a second-half penalty saved by Jordan Pickford at the Etihad Stadium.
City have dropped all the way down to seventh in the top-flight and a full 14 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who have played a game less, and their hopes of winning a fifth straight title and seventh in the last eight years are now surely totally over.
Alarming slump: Manchester City have lost nine of their last 13 matches in the Premier League
Martin Rickett/PA Wire
They now go to the King Power Stadium to face a Leicester team who sit inside the relegation zone and a point adrift of safety after a positive start to Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy’s managerial tenure was followed by three consecutive losses, with heavy defeats at the hands of Newcastle and Wolves coming before a 3-1 loss at Anfield on Boxing Day in which they took a shock early lead but never looked likely to hold it.
Both of these sides could really do with a positive result on Sunday afternoon to head into the New Year on a brighter note.
TV channel: In the UK, today’s game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage beginning at 1:30pm GMT ahead of a 2:30pm kick-off in the East Midlands.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.