Manchester City's mission to dethrone Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table resumes on Wednesday as the champions take on Leeds United at Elland Road.
Pep Guardiola's side are five points adrift of the table-topping Gunners at the time of writing, while the Whites entered the World Cup break in 15th with a coincidental 15 points.
Match preview
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Leeds starlet Crysencio Summerville exhausted his injury-time powers just before domestic football went on hiatus for the World Cup, as the Dutchman bagged last-minute winners against Liverpool and Bournemouth before Jesse Marsch's side returned to losing ways.
An EFL Cup exit at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers preceded another seven-goal thriller for Leeds, although they came out on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline against Tottenham Hotspur on November 12 to leave them dangling just two places above the relegation zone in 15th place.
Results not going Leeds' way this week could therefore see them fall below the dotted line ahead of the New Year, but Marsch's side can feel satisfied with their form in the winter friendly period, recording 2-1 successes over Elche and Real Sociedad before going down 4-2 to Monaco.
While scoring in seven of their last eight competitive and non-competitive contests can be viewed in a positive light, failing to keep a single clean sheet in 11 successive games can not, and only five of the hosts' 17 Premier League games at Elland Road this calendar year have ended in victory.
Not since beating Arsenal in 1999 have Leeds managed to get the better of the reigning English champions on home soil, and former Red Bull Salzburg coach Marsch will be all too aware of the indomitable powers held by Man City's Yorkshire-born star striker.
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The man born in Leeds now aims to dampen the festive cheer around Elland Road upon his return to West Yorkshire, and a well-rested Erling Braut Haaland will give no thought to the sentimental value of a meeting with the club his father proudly wore the colours of.
It took the scintillating Scandinavian all of 10 minutes to return to his scoring ways in Man City's EFL Cup fourth-round fixture with Liverpool last week, where further goals from Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake cancelled out strikes from Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah to see Guardiola's side advance to the last eight courtesy of a 3-2 win.
As pleasing as adding another EFL Cup to that brimming section of the cabinet would be, Man City have serious work to do when it comes to usurping Premier League leaders Arsenal, who would increase their lead over the champions at the top to eight points should they beat West Ham United on Boxing Day.
Some of the Etihad faithful may still be having Ivan Toney-themed nightmares following Brentford's remarkable late win at the Etihad just before the World Cup break, but the travelling contingent can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their side have conceded just the one goal in their last six away games in all competitions.
Leeds impressively prevented Man City from winning either of their two fixtures in the 2020-21 Premier League season, but the champions put a whopping 11 past the Whites last term, storming to a 7-0 Etihad success before recording a 4-0 triumph at Elland Road just eight months ago.
Team News
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Leeds' doctors have been working overtime as they aim to recover a host of players for Marsch, who is without the suspended Tyler Adams as well as long-term injury victims Stuart Dallas and Archie Gray, while Luis Sinisterra will not make the cut either.
First-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier is recovering from glandular fever and is one of a number of doubts alongside Patrick Bamford, Crysencio Summerville, Rodrigo, Liam Cooper, Jack Harrison and Mateusz Klich, although the latter is apparently close to a move to MLS side DC United.
Bamford is considered the least likely of Leeds' injury doubts to be passed fit for Wednesday, where Norway's Kristoffer Klaesson will make just his second Premier League appearance in goal if Meslier is not ready to return.
While the Yorkshire-born Haaland will make a return to home territory, Kalvin Phillips will not, as Guardiola bluntly admitted that the ex-Leeds midfielder - who recently recovered from shoulder surgery - returned from the World Cup overweight and will not be considered for selection just yet.
Portuguese centre-back Ruben Dias could also be out for up to a month after sustaining a hamstring injury in A Selecao's World Cup quarter-final loss to Morocco, while four-goal Argentina hero Julian Alvarez may not be back until the New Year following his exploits in Qatar.
Other World Cup representatives such as Ederson, Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva ought to make their returns to the starting lineup for Man City, while Phil Foden and Jack Grealish will battle it out to start on the left before Alvarez returns to stake his claim for regular minutes.
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Klaesson; Kristensen, Cooper, Koch, Struijk; Roca, Forshaw; Aaronson, Rodrigo, Harrison; Gelhardt
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; B. Silva, Haaland, Foden
We say: Leeds United 0-4 Manchester City
While Marsch is confident that the majority of his injury doubts will be able to play on Wednesday, facing a Man City side full of refreshed international stalwarts surely only spells one result.
Guardiola's side were in their usual relentless mood against Liverpool and should have no problem putting a few goals past a leaky Leeds defence, especially with the perennially cool Haaland out to lay down a marker in his former hometown.
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