Thin margins separate Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League title race. City lead by only one point, which means that each match played is critical, especially a tricky visit to Elland Road against a team staving off elimination. Pep Guardiola may not be able to rotate his side as much as he’d like in order to preserve his players for Wednesday’s second leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League (Paramount+).
Since Jesse Marsch has taken over, Leeds have run away from the relegation zone by winning three of their seven games played. Their 11 points collected under Marsch are an impressive total considering that they collected just 23 points in the 26 games under Marcelo Bielsa and only sat two points clear of safety. This is all to say, Leeds can’t be treated as a team of pushovers under Marsch, so it’ll be a tougher match for City than expected.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
Date: Saturday, Apr. 30 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
Location: Elland Road — Leeds, West Yorkshire
TV: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Odds: Leeds United +900; Draw +450; Man City -335 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured Game | Leeds United vs. Manchester City
Storylines
Leeds United: The only major injury that Leeds United are dealing with is Patrick Bamford still being sidelined. He may return to training next week but as he’s been in and out all season, Jesse Marsch will want to take things slow. Tyler Roberts and Adam Forshaw will miss the remainder of the season but as depth options, youth prospects are ready to step up to take their places.
Manchester City: Defensively, it’ll be a tough match for City with John Stones and Kyle Walker set to miss the match. Guardiola can play Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko as his fullbacks but one could be rotated with Nathan Ake standing in. Outside of the missing defenders, City have a clean bill of health. Walker will be a worry as he may be out for the season but the team doesn’t have confirmation yet.
Prediction
City will want to take care of this one early so that they can rest players for Real Madrid so I’d expect a fast start but for Leeds to push them. Pick: Leeds United 1, Manchester City 2