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Manchester City fans online are rejoicing at the return of Belgian superstar Kevin De Bruyne to the starting lineup against Leicester City on Sunday. The Cityzens will face the Foxes at the King Power Stadium, which will also be the last Premier League match of the year for the two sides.
Pep Guardiola has gone with a 4-1-4-1 formation with Stefan Ortega starting as the goalkeeper. The backline consists of Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and Rico Lewis. In the defensive midfield position, Mateo Kovacic acts as a single pivot with Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, and Savinho ahead of him. Erling Haaland is the lone striker in the front for Manchester City.
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Kevin De Bruyne's 2024-25 season has been riddled with injuries so far. The Belgian maestro has started just seven games in the Premier League, registering two goals and two assists each. In City's 1-1 draw against Everton, De Bruyne was on the field for just 15 minutes after replacing Jeremy Doku in the second half.
Fans on X are overjoyed with the return of the Belgian in the starting lineup. Some popular comments on X are as follows:
"De Bruyne starting praise the lord, we will eat," a fan wrote on X.
"De Bruyne starting. I got my joy back," raved another.
"Kevin de Bruyne is in the starting line up?? We might actually have a chance but.....," another Manchester City fan chimed in.
A user on X wrote that they were hopeful of a positive result with the return of De Bruyne.
"Ake starts and Kevin De Bruyne starting and captains our team, I’m hopeful today," wrote the fan on X.
"De Bruyne starting, we might take a few attacking risks today. C'mon, City get a win today and back on track. Number 500 for Pep c'mon, " encouraged another fan online.
An overview of Manchester City's clash with Leicester City in numbers
Manchester City have been shockingly poor this season with a string of injuries to their key players. At present, they are groveling at number seven on the Premier League table with 28 points in 18 games. The Cityzens have won just one out of their last five league games and 13 games across competitions.
Leicester City, meanwhile, are 18th in the league table and battling probable relegation. In 18 games, they have amassed just 14 points and have lost three out of their last five league games.
If we look at their head-to-head statistics, the visitors have the edge. The two sides have clashed 127 times with City winning 66 of them. Meanwhile, Ruud van Nistelrooy's side has won just 32 games. Leicester City have also lost 11 of their last 13 clashes with Manchester City in the Premier League. They have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 15 such matches.
Finally, City have won their last four away games against Leicester City in the Premier League, having kept a clean sheet in each of the four wins. This is the joint-longest such run against a single opponent in the Premier League.
