Leeds United vs Manchester City (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How To Watch | OneFootball

After closing the gap to the top of the table down to just five points and with a game in hand, Manchester City make the short trip to take on Daniel Farke’s Leeds United this weekend.

Last time out, Pep Guardiola’s welcomed Newcastle to the Etihad Stadium knowing there was little room for error, striking early through Nico O’Reilly with a crisp effort from the edge of the box, arrowing his strike beyond Nick Pope to hand City the advantage.

The lead lasted just six minutes when a failure to properly clear a Magpies corner allowed full-back Lewis Hall to pounce and restore parity for the visitors, briefly swinging momentum back in their favour.

Erling Haaland turned provider just minutes later however, delivering an inch-perfect cross that O’Reilly met once more with conviction to restore Manchester City’s lead. At 2–1, and with Arsenal still to play, the pressure at the summit intensified once more.

It was not entirely comfortable from there as Dan Burn thought he had drawn Newcastle level with a towering header, only for the assistant’s flag to intervene. Ruben Dias’ slight push had seemingly nudged Burn beyond City’s defensive line, keeping Guardiola’s men narrowly ahead and ultimately preserving all three points come the full-time whistle.

With a full week between fixtures, Manchester City have had rare time to recharge as Guardiola even joked that his players were free to “enjoy life” and sip cocktails during their days off – a light-hearted reward after navigating another crucial test in the title race.

Leeds United, however, present a different challenge. Daniel Farke’s side arrive unbeaten in four matches, including impressive draws against Chelsea and Aston Villa. They have lost just once in their last eight – a resilience that makes Elland Road a far from straightforward destination.

The Whites sit six points above the relegation zone, meaning every fixture carries enormous weight as they battle to secure Premier League survival. Desperation can be dangerous and Leeds will view this as an opportunity to make a statement.

For City, the stakes are equally clear. Every point is vital as they look to capitalise on Arsenal’s recent stumbles, while the league leaders face a stern London derby test against Chelsea, and the right combination of results could open the door for Guardiola’s side to seize control of the title race.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Leeds on Saturday!

Match Details

Manchester City will travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Saturday 28 February, with kick-off scheduled for 17:30 (UK).

Match Officials

Peter Bankes will oversee Saturday’s game, with the last time he officiated a Manchester City game being this season’s reverse fixture against Leeds, where the Blues walked away as 3-2 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

You can find the full list of match officials for the contest below!

Team News

Josko Gvardiol continues his recovery from the tibial fracture he sustained against Chelsea back in January, and an exact timescale for recovery is unknown at this point, although it is thought that he may return for the very end of the season.

Max Alleyne picked up a knock against Salford City, but made his return to team training this week, while Mateo Kovacic remains out having undergone surgery on his heel in the early stages of the season.

Jeremy Doku remains a doubt but has not yet been fully ruled out of action for this weekend, having returned to training with Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad on Thursday.

For Daniel Farke and Leeds United, the only player set to miss out on the action this weekend is Noah Okafor.

Pep Guardiola’s Press Conference Quotes

“Elland Road is Elland Road.”

“I like Fulham [Craven Cottage], I like Watford [Vicarage Road], Goodison Park. Coming from another country to these traditional stadiums, I like it! Of course, the new ones are beautiful.”

On the pressure of competing for a first Premier League title: “I don’t remember. I’m not here to give advice to Mikel [Arteta].”

On the impact of Ramadan on Manchester City’s Muslim players: “They follow these religious traditions and of course we have good nutritionists and they adapt to what the team needs… I think they’re used to it, they’re not young, they’re used to many, many years playing in this period.”

On whether fasting times during Ramadan will be considered for Manchester City’s Starting XI vs Leeds: “No. They are well taken care [of], and they know how you handle these situations.”

Head To Head

Since 1924, these two sides have faced off no less than 117 times. The Blues have won 50 of these fixtures, with Leeds having won on 43 occasions. The last time Leeds avoided defeat was in the 2020/21 season, when a Stuart Dallas brace was enough to take all three points from Pep Guardiola’s side.

Since then, Manchester City have won all five matches, scoring a remarkable 18 goals in the process, with seven of those goals coming in the first of those five occasions.

The last time these two sides faced each other was in November, in a match that ended 3-2 to the Blues, with City striking early that day through Phil Foden in the first minute.

The hosts were 2-0 up by the 25th minute courtesy of a goal from Josko Gvardiol, while the visitors would draw level with two second half goals; one from former Manchester City player Lukas Nmecha.

Thankfully Phil Foden’s stoppage time strike proved enough to save the day for Manchester City and earn all three points, in a victory that may look crucial come the end of the ongoing campaign.

Statistics

Man City have won their last two away league games against Leeds – only once have they won three consecutively, doing so in their first three visits to Elland Road between 1924 and 1928.

Since the start of December, Leeds United have drawn more games than any other Premier League side (8), with the Whites going 1-0 ahead in three of their last four draws which all ended 1-1.

Leeds United haven’t lost any of their last 25 league or play-off matches at Elland Road that have kicked off after 5pm (W20 D5) since a 6-1 defeat to Liverpool in April 2023.

Nico O’Reilly has scored in each of his last two Premier League appearances for Manchester City. The last City player to net in three in a row before the age of 21 was Phil Foden in 2020.

Manchester City has won 23 of their last 25 Premier League games against newly-promoted sides; Leeds the last team to actually beat them in such a match back in 2021.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke is one of the few managers to have masterminded a victory over Pep Guardiola’s City while in charge of a promoted club (doing so with Norwich in 2019). He is currently chasing the record to become only the second manager ever to do this with two different promoted teams.

How To Watch

The match will be available to watch on Sky Sports in the UK, with radio coverage available on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Manchester.

For those watching in the USA, coverage is available on NBC and Peacock.

Check out the full global TV listings HERE!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram channels throughout matchday, with content also provided on cityxtra.co.uk!