untitled-design-2023-04-14t202017-478.png
Getty Images

Fresh from their demolition of Bayern Munich in midweek, Manchester City will be looking to make ground in the Premier League title race as they host a Leicester City side in freefall on Saturday. The Etihad Stadium was once a happy hunting ground for the Foxes but having won four of their first five visits to City in the Premier League they have lost five of the last six and will be expected to do the same on Saturday afternoon.

Their best hope might be some kind of new manager bounce in the form of Dean Smith. The 52-year-old, appointed after the sacking of Brendan Rodgers earlier this month, did keep Aston Villa from the drop in their first season back in the Premier League in 2019-20 but was unable to repeat the feat for Norwich City last season. He has eight games to keep them alive. Currently, Leicester are two points from safety, but have picked up just one point from their last eight games. Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:

Viewing information

  • Date: Saturday, April 15 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Etihad Stadium -- Manchester
  • TV: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (free trial)
  • Odds: Manchester City -600; Draw +600; Leicester City +1600 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Storylines

Manchester City: Tuesday's 3-0 win was as impressive a triumph as Pep Guardiola could have imagined, one where every facet of his side excelled. Erling Haaland scored again and provided a brilliant assist. Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish schemed effectively in support of their center forward and a back four made up entirely of center backs looked like it could hold Bayern Munich with ease. The slight downside to come from the victory was an injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne, though he himself did not seem too perturbed when he was substituted at the Etihad.

Guardiola would insist, however, that his side had a far harder time than anyone might have expected. "It was not comfortable. Emotionally I'm destroyed. I have 10 more years today. It was such a demanding game. Now I have to relax, a day off for the guys, and prepare for Leicester."

CBS Sports has a daily soccer podcast, covering everything you need to know about the beautiful game. Make sure to give House of Champions a follow for coverage of the biggest games, stories, transfer news with Fabrizio Romano, and everything else going on in the world's most popular sport.

Leicester City: A new managerial era at the King Power Stadium began in somewhat chaotic fashion. When Smith sat down at his desk for the first time he must have surely known that he was not Leicester's first choice. Graham Potter could not be tempted to dive straight back in after being sacked by Chelsea on the same day Rodgers left Leicester. Jesse Marsch seemed to be close to taking over only for negotiations to fall apart whilst Rafael Benitez also seemed to be in the mix before Smith took over.

Still, Smith and his coaching staff (including former Leicester boss Craig Shakespeare and John Terry) are confident in their abilities to get the job done. "If it was something [a challenge] that I thought was insurmountable then I wouldn't have come and Shakey and JT wouldn't have come, if they believed that also," he said. "We're going to see it like a competition, really. We've got six games, eight weeks to save the season. We can't get away from the fact we're in a tough position at the moment."

Prediction

City are in irresistible form and could well crush Leicester. PICK: Manchester City 3, Leicester City 0