How Man City could line up in Premier League clash vs Leeds United (4-1-4-1) | OneFootball

Manchester City return to Premier League action on Saturday evening as they welcome relegation-threatened Leeds United to the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola will demand a response from his side after his 100th Champions League match in charge of City ended in a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.

That result came just days after his side fell to a 2-1 defeat in the Premier League against Newcastle United, which ended City’s four-match winning streak in all competitions.

City head into this weekend’s showdown seven points behind league leaders Arsenal and just one off second-placed Chelsea.

With the London rivals set to lock horns in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday, City cannot afford to slip up against a relegation-battling side, and the odds are in their favour.

Guardiola’s side have won their last four consecutive Premier League games against Leeds, having managed just one win from their previous seven meetings between January 2001 and April 2021.

The Spaniard has called on his side to play without fear as he hopes to halt their losing streak before it becomes a bigger problem.

How Man City could line up

Guardiola admitted that making 10 changes to his team ahead of the game against Leverkusen was the root cause of their midweek capitulation.

But he may be forced to do the same against Leeds on Saturday, with a number of heavy-hitters set to return to the first team.

Gianluigi Donnarumma should replace James Trafford in goal behind a familiar back four of 20-year-old Nico O’Reilly, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, and Matheus Nunes.

Guardiola confirmed during his press conference that Rodri is still out, and the same can be said for Mateo Kovacic, who is facing a lengthy spell in the infirmary with an ankle injury.

Nico Gonzalez should return to the base of midfield in their absence, while Rayan Cherki, who Guardiola has described as an “intelligent” player, returns to the front line.

He’ll likely be joined by Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, and Bernardo Silva, with Premier League top scorer Erling Braut Haaland leading the line, looking to net his 100th league goal.