Man City might have the best home record in the league this season, but no team has taken more points on the road than Leicester (25), who are enjoying an extraordinary season. It had been thought that the Foxes would fall away in the second half of the campaign, but with the home straight not too far away, they lead the division by three points.
It would still be a major surprise if they managed to take the title, but they are also 10 points clear of fifth-placed Man United in the race for fourth, which would be a remarkable achievement for a team that were almost relegated last term. Talk of the title has been banned from the Leicester training ground, but a positive result here and indeed in their next match against Arsenal would silence the doubters and leave the supporters dreaming.
Leicester have only lost twice in the league this season and have only been beaten in one of their last 15 away league matches, winning nine times in the process. There have been a number of impressive performers throughout the campaign, but the accolades will rightly go to Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. Both were in fine form on Tuesday night as Leicester recorded a 2-0 win over Liverpool to ensure that they would enter this match top of the pile.
Indeed, without Vardy’s 18 league goals this season, Leicester would be 18 points worse off. Mahrez, meanwhile, has scored 13 league goals and provided nine assists, including a sensational pass for Vardy’s first against Liverpool at the King Power. The Foxes were last beaten in the league at Liverpool on Boxing Day, but since then, they have picked up 12 points.
As mentioned, Leicester’s next match after this one is away to Arsenal. The next two could well determine whether Ranieri’s side can win the title, but if they get through the next two unscathed, they have a very good run of fixtures. Their final three league games are very tough, however, travelling to Manchester United and Chelsea, and also hosting Everton.
Ranieri paid tribute to Man City at his pre-match press conference ahead of this match, claiming that the home side have ‘a number of magicians’ that are capable of deciding the outcome at any given moment. The Italian wants the Leicester supporters to “continue to dream”, however, as they chase down what would be an incredible story in the English game.