Manchester City take a break from their Premier League run with a visit to Leicester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola's side have won their last 16 games in the league to move 11 points clear of rivals Manchester United.
But the cup will be a different prospect, especially if Pep Guardiola takes the opportunity to rest first-teamers ahead of the Christmas period.
| Game | Leicester City vs Manchester City |
| Date | Tuesday, December 19 |
| Time | 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the United Kingdom (UK) the game is available to watch live on television on Sky Sports, as well as being available to stream live online using the Sky Go app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports | Sky Go |
In the United States (US) , the game will be available via ESPN 3 and the Watch ESPN app.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ESPN 3 | Watch ESPN |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Leicester players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Schmeichel, Hamer, Jakupovic |
| Defenders | Simpson, Chilwell, Morgan, Huth, Maguire, Dragovic, Benalouane, Knight |
| Midfielders | Gray, King, Albrighton, Amartey, Iborra, Ndidi, Mahrez, Choudhury |
| Forwards | Iheanacho, Vardy, Musa, Slimani, Okazaki, Ulloa |
The Foxes will be without Wilfred Ndidi, who was sent off in the weekend's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace and faces suspension for the Carabao Cup clash.
Matty James and Robert Huth, meanwhile, are close to regaining fitness but are unlikely to play any part in Tuesday's quarter-final.
Potential Leicester starting XI: Schmeichel; Chilwell, Maguire, Morgan, Simpson; Iborra, Albrighton, Gray, King; Mahrez; Vardy.
| Position | Man City players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Bravo, Ederson, Grimshaw |
| Defenders | Walker, Danilo, Mangala, Otamendi, Adarabioyo, Duhaney |
| Midfielders | Sterling, Gundogan, De Bruyne, D. Silva, Delph, Sane, B. Silva, Fernandinho, Zinchenko, Toure, Diaz, Foden |
| Forwards | Aguero, Jesus, Nmecha |
Guardiola is likely to make wholesale changes to his regular line-up for the quarter-final, as he takes the opportunity to experiment with both players and tactics.
New Young Sports Personality of the Year Ben Foden is in line for a start, while Claudio Bravo is likely to take over from Ederson in goal and Gabriel Jesus could lead the line as Sergio Aguero is rested.
Potential Man City starting XI: Bravo; Adarabioyo, Fernandinho, Mangala; Danilo, Toure, Gundogan, Foden; Bernardo, Jesus, Zinchenko.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Man City are rated 4/9 favourites to advance to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. Leicester, meanwhile, are priced at 11/2 to beat the league leaders and a draw is considered a 15/4 bet.
GAME PREVIEW
With Manchester City romping their way to the Premier League title and showing great form in the Champions League, the Carabao Cup is unlikely to be high on Pep's list of priorities.
That fact is likely to be expressed in his team-sheet, with plenty of young prospects and fringe players given the opportunity for a run-out in Tuesday's quarter.
Even with the majority of their all-conquering first team rested, however, City will still be a tough prospect for a Leicester side who will be looking to bounce back after a shock result.
This weekend's 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Crystal Palace demonstrated the Foxes' fragility, although they remain in the top half of the table in touch with the European qualification places.
Manager Claude Puel, then, has a decision to make; field a weakened team in the last eight in the hope of recovering Premier League form over the new year, or pursue perhaps the best chance Leicester have of taking silverware this season.
What is certain is that, with plenty of unfamiliar names on the pitch, an open, intriguing 90 minutes of football should be expected at the King Power Stadium.
