Manchester City have been faultless of late, but will this be the weekend we see some points dropped? Alex Keble assesses their tricky away game with Leeds United.
The likelihood remains that the Premier League champions will collect the three points and move on, such is the gulf in class between them and the rest of the Premier League. And yet following an exhausting midweek with a Champions League semi-final first leg, there is an upset in the air.
Real Madrid's 4-3 defeat to Man City in midweek suggested that Pep Guardiola's team isn't as defensively solid as some might think, and indeed a slight leakiness has been creeping in for some time now.
Liverpool scored five goals against them over two matches, while Brighton had several 'nearly' moments in their 3-0 defeat, proving that often all it takes is some daring build-up play to catch Man City out.
That is what Leeds will attempt on Saturday evening in a contest that is likely to have a lot of chaotic moments when the match becomes stretched.
City have the attacking quality to make the most of an end-to-end game, but that isn't quite what Leeds will have in mind.
Rather, there will be patches of madness; intermittent all-out counter-attacks that punctuate a conservative system deployed by Jesse Marsch. That gives Leeds the slight chance of causing an upset; of rolling a six when the game briefly opens up.
Marsch has dialled down on Marcelo Bielsa's football while retaining many of the values that made Leeds good to watch. The man-to-man pressing has gone, and just as important Leeds are happier now to sit behind the ball and wait for teams to come onto them – hence why they only had 51% possession in the recent 3-0 win at Watford.
It means Leeds are more normal and their games containing. Saturday's game will be Marsch's first against a 'Big Six' side and we should anticipate an even more cautious approach, coupled with sharp vertical counter-attacks created through high-risk build-up play.
Leeds will pass out from the back from goal kicks and try to work the ball through midfield, creating quick triangles until the Man City press is bypassed and the forwards are able to run straight at a backpedalling Man City defence.
It is what Brighton tried and failed at. Fortunately Leeds have a significantly stronger attack, led by reported Guardiola target Rafinha.
As Joao Cancelo roams far from his left-back position, Rafinha may fancy his chances of causing damage down that side of the pitch.
Clearly Man City are heavy favourites and could well run out easy winners against a Leeds side that, historically, play too openly against the league leaders.
But there is a chance, however slim, that Leeds will plug the gaps and slow City down – before unsettling them with some slick passing football that stabs at City's weaker underbelly.
