Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has expressed doubt over his sides ability to beat Leeds United ahead of tonight’s game.
Speaking his in pre-match press conference, the former Barcelona manager admitted that Leeds would present a difficult challenge for his team, praising The Whites ability to create a high volume of good chances.
The statistics would appear to back up his claims as well.
According to data from FBref.com, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are the 9th best team for Expected Goals, 5th for total shots, and 8th for total shot on target.
However, Leeds have been suffering with an injury crisis up front for most of the season, forcing them to play natural wingers such as Daniel James up front instead.
Due to this loss of quality, Leeds rank just 13th for goals scored, 17th for shots on target percentage, and have the 5th worse Goals minus xG value (-3.6). This means that they are scoring far less frequently than an average side would be expected to given the chances they create.
As a result, Leeds are dangling just a few spots above the relegation zone, with a buffer of just five points between them and 18th placed Burnley.
Guardiola will be hoping that his former mentor’s side will not find their shooting boots against his Premier League Champions tonight, as they hunt yet another title under the charismatic Spaniard.
You can watch the full video below.
?"You see the stats there's no single game that they don't create more chances than the opponent. It's one of the toughest opponents."
Pep Guardiola knows Leeds' unique style of play will present a difficult challenge for Manchester City pic.twitter.com/Nz5o2D5HTp
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 14, 2021
Pictures courtesy of Sky Sports.