The final international break of the 2024/25 has just been wrapped up and for Leicester City, a period without domestic football has just delayed their misery.
Leicester City have dug themselves a hole at the bottom of the Premier League table that looks impossible to escape.
The Foxes are nine points adrift of safety after Wolves produced a draw against Everton and a win over Southampton.
Next up for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men is a daunting trip to Manchester City, one of the hardest places to visit in the top-flight.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 29 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 40 | 58 | -18 | 26 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 29 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 62 | -34 | 17 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 29 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 65 | -40 | 17 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 29 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 21 | 70 | -49 | 9 |
Van Nistelrooy will hope to pull off a miracle and stop the rot, although considering they’ve lost 13 of their last 14 matches, even a draw looks out of reach.
Early Leicester City predicted lineup against Manchester City
Last time out, Leicester were beaten 3-0 by Manchester United, in what was another disappointing evening at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester also set an unwanted Premier League record, becoming the first team in the competition’s history to lose seven matches in a row without scoring in each.
It’s been an embarrassing spell of form for the Foxes, who will need to perform much better than they did against United to pull off an upset against Man City.
In his team selection for the match, Van Nistelrooy should drop £23m forward Patson Daka, who isn’t good enough while replacing him with Stephy Mavididi.
The former Arsenal winger has looked bright when coming off the bench, and although not the most technically gifted, he would put in a shift.
Aside from that, Van Nistelrooy should consider dropping Wout Faes, who was at fault against United, with Caleb Okoli starting in his place.
Mavididi will be key for Leicester next season
Upon assessing Mavididi’s chances of featuring, the Frenchman is one of several players in the squad who hasn’t reached the level in the top-flight.
Last season, the 26-year-old was electric in the Championship, as Mavididi was dubbed ‘unplayable’ alongside Jamie Vardy and Abdul Fatawu.
He amassed an impressive 12 goals and six assists in the second-tier as Leicester clinched the title while in 2024/25, he’s only managed three goals in 27 Premier League appearances.
Admittedly, a lot of his minutes have come from the bench, but with Leicester destined for relegation, Van Nistelrooy has to consider playing those who will be crucial in 2025/26, and Mavididi is arguably one of them.