Talking Heads: Rodgers, Guardiola, Pérez & Gündoğan
- Leicester City entertain Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday (5:30pm kick-off)
- The Foxes sealed a memorable 5-2 victory over the Citizens at Etihad Stadium in September
- Manager Brendan Rodgers and Ayoze Pérez previewed the game earlier this week
- For the visitors, Pep Guardiola and İlkay Gündoğan have also been on media duties
Although the Foxes head into this weekend's encounter having defeated the Citizens in the reverse fixture at Etihad Stadium earlier this season, Pep Guardiola's side hold a significant 14-point lead at the top of the league table and are a further point ahead of third-placed Leicester.
Ahead of Saturday's showdown, key figures from both dressing rooms have spoken to the media...
In his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, City manager Brendan Rodgers praised the opposition: "They’re an incredible team. They’ve played at a really consistent level. They’ve got the best manager in the world. They have all the ingredients to make them a really outstanding team, but we’re really excited by it. It’s always a great challenge and a real test to play against Manchester City. They’re a top-class team, but every team has an area where you can look to take advantage. It’s a different type of game to what we’d normally play because of the level of the opponent. Like we showed in the first game, we can still play to a high level and be really effective in the game."
Speaking to the media on Friday, Pep Guardiola revealed his admiration for the Foxes: "Leicester is a top class team - they can beat us. The depth of their squad, I am impressed. They can play in different ways. Four in the back, five, one striker, two strikers. They can play good build-up because of the 'keeper. People in between like [Youri] Tielemans and [James] Maddison - they have the quality. They can play in different ways. Brendan knows the team and the mood and momentum to decide what they are going to do. We have to adapt. You see all the players, [Wilfred] Ndidi is going well, Tielemans is a top-class player. When you defend deep, they have the quality to find sources. We have eight games left and they are third, it means they have done incredibly well."
Spanish forward Ayoze Pérez told LCFC TV earlier this week: "They’re the leaders right now and, obviously, it’s going to be a tough test for us, but we’ve done it before. We’ve proved we can beat the big teams, so we’re definitely ready for it. We also know how good Man City are. The amount of players they’ve got, they play very good football, but I think the analysis has to be more about us and what we can do. We’re looking at our strengths, what we can use to frustrate them. We need to be ready. It’s going to be a big game for us. It’s important, if we want to be up there, and we’re working on the game and making sure we are ready for it."
Following City's 2-0 over Everton in the Emirates FA Cup Quarter-Final on 20 March, midfielder İlkay Gündoğan commented: “I think the next target is to come back healthy and in the best shape from the international break because everyone is struggling. It is not going to be easy, and we then have a big game against Leicester next. We know that we have players on the bench every single game that can possibly make the difference, if we need it. In the biggest teams, they win like that, having players on the bench contributing in important moments. That’s what you need when you want to win. We are happy to have a great squad, to have a deep squad.”
All times BST.