Manchester City can be said to be in an unfamiliar position at this stage of the season and more so, behind Arsenal and Newcastle United as they sit in third, eight points behind the top going into this fixture.

The champions have it all to do as they have to do all they can to wipe out Arsenal’s lead if they want to retain their title again; the Etihad landlords have won four of the last five titles in England but this edition is proving harder than they imagined.

Leeds United sit just two points above the drop zone and that’s too close for comfort; injuries and indiscipline have been the bane of Jesse Marsche’s side but they have to pick points, even in difficult games like this if they don’t want to be relegated.

Back to back struggles against the drop isn’t what any team wants to experience but that remains the story of Leeds United as they now could be in more trouble as they have to travel to high flying Newcastle United next on Saturday.

How will Leeds approach this game? They will be their aggressive self, but whatever they do, they can’t afford to lose sight of their behinds with the Cityzens ready to feast on the narrow spaces left behind, they must learn from antecedents.

Manchester City proved they’re not here to joke as they beat Liverpool in the League Cup last week but losing Manuel Akanji to injury means they will have to throw in their World Cup returnees into the line up on Wednesday.

Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva will be immense in this game but all eyes would be on Erling Haaland who knows exactly how to run unbelievable numbers. He would be licking his lips at the prospect of facing one of the weakest defenses in the league.

Leeds know how to cause upsets but do they have what it takes to disconnect the strength in the champions’ wings?

Verdict: Manchester City to win