Leicester City vs Manchester City: Three key matchups

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 18: Raheem Sterling of Manchester City battles with Christian Fuchs of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Manchester City at The King Power Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Claude Puel’s Leicester City host champions-elect Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup as the Foxes continue their pursuit for silverwear.

After a good run of form, Leicester came back down to earth in the 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Manchester City remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season with a 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Both sides could rotate heavily from the teams that featured last weekend, but here are the three key matchups to watch out for.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 28: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City celebrates scoring the 1st goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at The King Power Stadium on November 28, 2017 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Jamie Vardy vs Nicolas Otamendi

Leicester’s best chance of progressing through to the semi-finals will be breaking on the counter-attack through Vardy.

The Citizens will push their full-backs high up the pitch when in possession, leaving Otamendi and his centre-back partner alone to deal with the Englishman should the Foxes break.

Vardy and Otamendi are good matchups as they are both blessed with pace.

The striker would do well to switch over to the other centre-back, presumably Eliaquim Mangala and hope to launch counter-attacks from that side of the field.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 09: Harry Maguire of Leicester looks on during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on December 9, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Harry Maguire vs Gabriel Jesus

With Sergio Aguero starting against Spurs on the weekend, there is a very good chance that Pep Guardiola will rotate his strikers once again. The Brazilian Jesus could well start at the King Power Stadium.

Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan will have their hands full trying to cope with the outstanding movement that Jesus brings to the table. They will have to communicate better than they did in the loss to Palace.

Jesus won’t be the only player troubling the two defenders as the away side will likely dominate possession and their plethora of attacking talent will all look to penetrate the Foxes’ defence.

If Leicester are to progress, they will have to be switched on and part of keeping Jesus at bay, will only act as half the job done.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

Claude Puel vs Pep Guardiola

Guardiola has rightly been lauded as one of the greatest managers of all time and he has masterminded to what has been called one of the best Premier League sides ever to grace the pitch.

He has made smart tactical switches to get the better of opposing managers, such as moving Jesus to a wide left role and utilising Raheem Sterling in a false-nine position against Manchester United.

Puel himself has made plenty of changes since taking charge of the Foxes, particularly by including Demarai Gray and Ben Chilwell in the starting lineup.

The two managers will be pitting their wits against each other, but Puel has previously said that Guardiola has influenced his style of play.

These three matchups could define the outcome of tonight’s game and with a semi-final spot up for grabs, nothing can be pre-determined.

Next: Carabao Cup preview: Leicester City vs Manchester City