Leeds United vs Manchester City

Defending Premier League champions Manchester City take a trip to Elland Road to encounter bottom-half underachievers Leeds United in an exciting Boxing Day fixture.

Leeds United completed their pre-World Cup domestic assignments in heartbreaking fashion, becoming the first Premier League side not to win a match after taking the lead three times since Boxing Day 2012 as Tottenham Hotspur toppled them 4-3. Staring down the barrel of another season-long fight against the drop, Jesse Marsch’s men sit only two points clear of 18th-placed Nottingham Forest at the start of this round. Back at Elland Road, where they ousted Bournemouth 4-3 last time out to snap an underwhelming run of four winless home league games (D2, L2), the ‘Whites’ will be looking to stun back-to-back Premier League champions. However, it’s worth noting that Leeds lost both last season’s league meetings with Manchester City by an aggregate score of 11-0, including a 4-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture.

Meanwhile, after thumping Leeds last season, Manchester City can win consecutive away league encounters against them for the first time since 2000. Nothing less would do for Pep Guardiola’s men after they shockingly lost 2-1 to Brentford at home last time out, falling five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal. The ‘Cityzens’ came out 3-2 victors against Liverpool in last week’s League Cup action, bolstering their spirits ahead of this must-win trip. However, the visitors have blown hot and cold on the road of late, racking up just two victories on their five most recent Premier League travels (D2, L1). Despite their topsy-turvy spell of form, they are still the most prolific side in the division, having netted a whopping 40 goals in 14 matches at an average of 2.85 per game.