Manchester City will be taking on Leeds United in a crucial Premier League match on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. The home team has a chance to extend its lead over second-placed Arsenal by four points if it manages to secure the victory. However, the task is not going to be easy as they face a team desperate to avoid relegation and motivated by change.
Sam Allardyce was appointed as the interim manager of Leeds United on Wednesday. Guardiola believes that Allardyce’s impact on the team can make them dangerous opponents for Manchester City. Allardyce has only two games to save the team from relegation, which makes the impact of his arrival significant. Guardiola said, “Always the impact of your manager on the players in the first one or two games … of course, every team is playing for important things, but for Leeds to stay up, the impact is huge.”
Guardiola also mentioned that he has no information about the tactics Leeds United might use in the game. He advised his team to focus on their strategies and plans. Guardiola said, “When you don’t have info about the opponent … don’t focus much on them. Think about your team, analyse the West Ham game to help us know what to do for the next game, and that’s all.”
Manchester City is on an unbeaten run of 19 matches across all competitions. It will be challenging for Leeds United to secure a win at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola is proud of how his players are handling the pressure of fighting for three titles. He said, “The fact that we play many, many games during the season, we are used to, so it’s not new, and what we have done, being here until the end, we have done in the past, so there’s no surprise, but I admire my players for the fact that again and again, they are doing it.”
Erling Haaland, Manchester City‘s striker, can extend his record for the most goals in a Premier League season against Leeds United‘s worst-in-top-flight defense. Guardiola dismissed questions about City‘s upcoming Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid and said that the focus is entirely on the Leeds game.
In conclusion, Manchester City is in excellent form going into the match against Leeds United. However, the motivation injected by the change at Leeds following the appointment of Allardyce can make the match unpredictable. Manchester City needs to focus on its strategies and match plans to secure a win and extend their lead in the Premier League.
