Premier League Prediction Thread 2024/2025

[KTChampions]

Apparently 5 EPL teams will be able to qualify for the Champions League next season through league position. This had something to do with West Ham eliminating Freiburg in Europa League, which boosted England's coefficient rank and moved them above Germany, meaning EPL will earn an additional UCL spot.
This is explained in this article:
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12940385/five-champions-league-places-for-premier-league-how-extra-team-can-qualify-in-2024

So there's still some hope for Man United and Ten Hag.

Wow, I didn’t know that the introduction of the Swiss system and the change in the Champions League format would also be accompanied by a change in the limit on the number of participating teams from one country. Previously, it also happened that 5 teams from one country participated (if a team outside the top 4 won the Champions League or Europa League), but now this will happen every year, plus if in the future a team outside the top 5 wins the Champions League or Europa League, then 6 at once teams from one country will participate.

[X-ray]

I think Arsenal has a better chance of beating Manchester City in their Premier League match on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. Three Manchester City players were injured while on international duty for England, and there are doubts about being ready for the Arsenal match. This will be an advantage for Arsenal. Arsenal will dominate most of that match because John Stones and Kyle Walker are among the injured Manchester City players.

This is where the squad dept we are always taking about have to come in. Manchester City has lots of players to fill in the space of the injured players. City played has been playing for long without John Stones for earlier part of the season and I know Guardiola will make adjustments to his squad. If Rodri was the player that was injured I would have been worried. Yes the absence of the players will show on the squad but it's not a criteria to judge that Arsenal will win at the Etihad stadium. Manchester City know what is at stake in this game and they can't lose it.

Even if Manchester City has a good squad dept you cannot compare first-team players to second-team players. For instance, when Kevin De Bruyne was injured, Manchester City was struggling to win their matches. But when Kevin De Bruyne returned from injury, Manchester City's performance improved, and they started winning matches easily.

It's unclear whether DeBruyne sustained serious or minor injuries. I was reading in the latest article that he has been slowly recovering and that he is expected to return to the game against Arsenal soon. De Bruyne's contribution was comparable to Haaland's. Even Haaland would be unable to score many goals without his assistance.
It means that if these players make the most significant contribution to the club. I appreciate how de Bruyne played as if he was in charge of the club's gameplay. Without a doubt, he has been referred to as the "King of Assistance" due to his significant contributions.
Even as he recovered from his injury, he continued to score goals and assist his teammates. In such a short period of time, he has made an unbelievable impact. No doubt Pep has advised him to retire at Manchester City rather than leaving the club.
I agree that the secondary team will have lower quality than the primary team, but never underestimate it. Liverpool has demonstrated that a secondary squad can perform just as well as the main squad.

[Weawant]

Even if Manchester City has a good squad dept you cannot compare first-team players to second-team players. For instance, when Kevin De Bruyne was injured, Manchester City was struggling to win their matches. But when Kevin De Bruyne returned from injury, Manchester City's performance improved, and they started winning matches easily.

It's always usually very different when the first team is playing as against when the second does and this is actually undisputed as it could be seen in their performance and sometimes their productivity aswell too, I do prefer that the first teams to play in most of their games but then it can't be like that all the time because the first team players are at some point fatigued or probably injured too which will then mean they can't be able perform optimally.

Kevin de bruyne is a player that he's importance in Manchester city can't be undermined, he's productive and is of very great performance to Manchester city and that can only mean that he's of great importance to the team and is definitely a first team player, away from him is also the likes of haland, doku and others in the first team who are also doing greatly for the team too. Manchester city no doubts has got a good strength and their depth is such that can be trusted to be very reliable and so they can be able to really get to deliver their squad well enough.

The absence of de bruyne actually affected Manchester city but it didn't stopped them from winning games actually, they had a few wins and also some draws aswell in his absence which they can definitely still perform in his absence but the difference will be in their productivity as  they may not be productive enough Nas they probably aught to be and this isn't common with them alone as other teams aswell has got this same experience too.

[Altryist]

I don't know for sure whether Kevin de Bruyne can be used against Arsenal or not, but if he can be used, of course it will be an advantage for Manchester City because they will be strengthened by players they really rely on in midfield. He is one of the players who has had a lot of positive impact on Manchester City's game, and in fact they also still have many players who contribute.

Regarding Arsenal's chances, they still have an open opportunity to get points from this match. However, keep in mind that their current opponents are not an ordinary club even though there are several players who cannot be played. As hosts, Manchester City will also not allow anyone to go home with points, including Arsenal. They are still the main favorites in this match to win the match. But what is clear is that I hope we can be presented with an interesting game that these two clubs can show. I want to see them appear to attack each other to make the match more interesting.

There is no information about De Bruyne yet, let's hope that the injury is not so serious. It became known that Walker will be able to play against Arsenal, the injury was not serious, this is good, but with Ederson everything is not so good, according to preliminary forecasts he will be able to return to the game in mid-April, so he will most likely miss the games with Arsenal and Aston Villa, and also possibly the first game with Real Madrid in CL.

[Frankolala]

I think Arsenal has a better chance of beating Manchester City in their Premier League match on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. Three Manchester City players were injured while on international duty for England, and there are doubts about being ready for the Arsenal match. This will be an advantage for Arsenal. Arsenal will dominate most of that match because John Stones and Kyle Walker are among the injured Manchester City players.

Arsenal have to work harder, i don't think they have any better chances because i just saw this now from there Telegram channel that Kevin De Bruyne is going to be fit for Man City vs Arsenal this Sunday, Kevin De Bruyne is one of the key players that will make it difficult for Arsenal to defeat them, and i want you to remember that arsenal playing away match against the current champions which are still strong, despite arsenal had won them twice this season i don't consider it to be the same because this match is very important for both the teams to determine who will lead the league on table.

We cannot judge if Manchester city would be able to win Arsenal, because Arsenal is also as tough as Real Madrid. The last time that Arsenal played Liverpool, Arsenal win the match, but Manchester city had a very difficult time with Liverpool when they clashed recently. This is why I still have the feelings that the match might favor Arsenal.

However, this match is the match that will determine who might be opportune to win the league, based on whoever win this match. Because points would drop giving Liverpool a higher advantage over the two. If Arsenal can win Manchester city, they will still be on top of the table, and I believe this is what Arteta is calculating. So I believe it might be possible or a draw.

[uchegod-21]

I think Arsenal has a better chance of beating Manchester City in their Premier League match on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. Three Manchester City players were injured while on international duty for England, and there are doubts about being ready for the Arsenal match. This will be an advantage for Arsenal. Arsenal will dominate most of that match because John Stones and Kyle Walker are among the injured Manchester City players.

Arsenal have to work harder, i don't think they have any better chances because i just saw this now from there Telegram channel that Kevin De Bruyne is going to be fit for Man City vs Arsenal this Sunday, Kevin De Bruyne is one of the key players that will make it difficult for Arsenal to defeat them, and i want you to remember that arsenal playing away match against the current champions which are still strong, despite arsenal had won them twice this season i don't consider it to be the same because this match is very important for both the teams to determine who will lead the league on table.

Record has it that Arsenal has won Manchester City twice this season, it is therefore very difficult for Manchester City to allow Arsenal to give them three consecutive defeats in a particular season. Even if all Manchester City players get injured, it will not really affect their teams if some keep layers are available. These key players are; KDB, Rodri and sometimes Haaland. So, since these three players are available, Manchester City has no reason whatsoever to lose points with the excuse of injured layers.

In the other hand, I have trusted Arsenal to play good football and which they have been doing right from last season. But I do not trust them to be able to beat Manchester city to win the English Premier League. They have phobia for trophies, that is why they could easily give up in the 11th hour.

[hahay]

Apparently 5 EPL teams will be able to qualify for the Champions League next season through league position. This had something to do with West Ham eliminating Freiburg in Europa League, which boosted England's coefficient rank and moved them above Germany, meaning EPL will earn an additional UCL spot.
This is explained in this article:
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12940385/five-champions-league-places-for-premier-league-how-extra-team-can-qualify-in-2024

So there's still some hope for Man United and Ten Hag.

Even though it is possible, it has become a definite decision that the Premier League teams will have 5 teams that will get Champions League tickets nextseason. But still,  in this moment Manchester United still has to compete strongly with Tottenham, because at thismoment Tottenham is in 5th position and Manchester United is in 6th position with a gap of 6 points. It's interesting of course, because if the Premier League teams gets 5 tickets, then it's likely that the Premier League teams will have a betterchance of getting the trophy. Moreover, Premier League teams managed to continue to make big improvements everyseason and so, ofcourse, it would be a big advantage if this happened.

[rendravolt]

I don't know for sure whether Kevin de Bruyne can be used against Arsenal or not, but if he can be used, of course it will be an advantage for Manchester City because they will be strengthened by players they really rely on in midfield. He is one of the players who has had a lot of positive impact on Manchester City's game, and in fact they also still have many players who contribute.

Regarding Arsenal's chances, they still have an open opportunity to get points from this match. However, keep in mind that their current opponents are not an ordinary club even though there are several players who cannot be played. As hosts, Manchester City will also not allow anyone to go home with points, including Arsenal. They are still the main favorites in this match to win the match. But what is clear is that I hope we can be presented with an interesting game that these two clubs can show. I want to see them appear to attack each other to make the match more interesting.

There is no information about De Bruyne yet, let's hope that the injury is not so serious. It became known that Walker will be able to play against Arsenal, the injury was not serious, this is good, but with Ederson everything is not so good, according to preliminary forecasts he will be able to return to the game in mid-April, so he will most likely miss the games with Arsenal and Aston Villa, and also possibly the first game with Real Madrid in CL.

Manchester City seemed to experience a serious disaster at the end of the season and they had to lose several key players ahead of a crucial match. It seems that not only De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Ederson but Akanji and Stones were also hit by the same injury. But if it is true that Kyle Walker can recover more quickly, of course that will be quite good and at least their defense will not be as weak as we think.

I think against Arsenal they have to be in really good form and Manchester City have to be able to overcome that later. Apart from that, the match against Real Madrid in the Champions League is another important thing for them to advance to the semifinals. But if when the time comes there has been no progress from the players then Pep Guardiola will have to re-strategize so that the carelessness he is worried about can be resolved properly.

[dezoel]

Man United are not very lucky when it comes to managers after Alex Ferguson retired. They keep changing them every season or two with no visible effects.
Now the latest rumours are they are considering Gareth Southgate, but Ten Hag is almost guaranteed to keep his job until the end of the season.

The team's performance is definitely far from satisfactory. After finishing 3rd last season, fans were hoping Man Utd would engage in the fight for the title this season, but instead, they're witnessing their team struggling to even break into the top 5.
There's clearly something wrong with United's attack, they've only scored 39 goals this season, which is very low for a club of their calibre (for Comparison, Arsenal has 70).

I don't think anything could save Ten Hag's position unless he manages to please the fans and club owners by winning against Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Look, you're 100% right about United post-Ferguson. We've gone from a force of nature to a...well, lets just say its not pretty. Used to be Old Trafford was untouchable. Now we're just praying for decent results. This attack is pathetic. 39 goals? Arsenal has almost double that. Ouch.

Ten Hag...Im gonna be honest, the guy might not be the answer. Not his fault the club's a mess, but those numbers are brutal. That third place last year fooled us. Right now, it feels like we're backsliding. Forget the title, will we even make top 5? If not, changes NEED to happen. Maybe big wins against Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal would buy him time, but thats a tall order. We're missing that fire, that United spirit. Something's gotta change, and fast.

This all is normal because as we have end of the era which create good success things take change and clubs or teams face transition period which creates problems but sometime things take time more than expected as we have in Manchester United case with their recent performance all is not good even they have few top quality players which can bring good results but as team they fail to create better things and their depth is also not as they want.

Players confidence level is also at their lowest level even we have few good successes which are good for them and their fight for the better end of this season but still they needed more good wins which bring overall good positive changes in dressing room now these last rounds are important for the coach and all if they are able to bring better result then we can expect another change otherwise we will have the good number of changes in coming days.

[tusandii]

Manchester City does not always depend on one player, although sometimes one of the players can make more contributions. Currently Pep Guardiola is not too concerned about the condition of his players because he has quite a lot of options to play. I still predict Manchester City will be able to crush Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. I also really respect Arsenal, they have developed rapidly so far, but the mentality of the Gunners players sometimes quickly collapses when under pressure. However, what is clear is that Arsenal also has a chance, even though it is very slim, but at least they have to force their opponents to share the points, which is extraordinary, especially being able to take home three points.

So far, I have never seen Manchester City rely on just one player while under Pep Guardiola's coaching, all Manchester City players play an important role in being able to provide the best contribution to their club even though they have Haaland and de Bruyne, but other players are also important players for Pep Guardiola.
Ahead of Arsenal's away match against Manchester City, without a doubt I will choose Manchester City to win the match.

Edit
It seems that I am too confident about the results that Manchester City will get, but in fact yesterday the match ended in a draw without a score that we could see, only 0-0.
I have to respect Arsenal even though I underestimated it, but it turns out it's true what you said that Arsenal could have gotten 3 points and it was close.
This draw gives the impression of increasingly competitive competition towards the end of the season and currently Liverpool is in first place while leading the PL.
Just a little disappointed with Haaland's chances of not being able to score even though he had a good chance.

[Furious 7]

Even though it is possible, it has become a definite decision that the Premier League teams will have 5 teams that will get Champions League tickets nextseason. But still,  in this moment Manchester United still has to compete strongly with Tottenham, because at thismoment Tottenham is in 5th position and Manchester United is in 6th position with a gap of 6 points. It's interesting of course, because if the Premier League teams gets 5 tickets, then it's likely that the Premier League teams will have a betterchance of getting the trophy. Moreover, Premier League teams managed to continue to make big improvements everyseason and so, ofcourse, it would be a big advantage if this happened.

It is still very possible to happen but in this case I actually don't know the regulations that occur when Liverpool's situation can later become champions in the Europa League and are in the top 4 simultaneously, will it still be 5 clubs in the Champions League next season or will it remain 4 clubs because Liverpool are champions in the Europa League and managed to be in the top 4 and even possible champions?

For Manchester United they must continue to prove themselves that they are worthy but there are several situations that they still have to improve even though at this time they have started to improve in terms of performance but there are some mistakes that sometimes hurt them. But it is certainly still very possible to happen and stay in the Champions League Zone when they are able to make their performance better towards the end of this season.
Competition is still there even though Manchester United's current condition is not too uncertain.

[Falconer]

-snip-

There is no information about De Bruyne yet, let's hope that the injury is not so serious. It became known that Walker will be able to play against Arsenal, the injury was not serious, this is good, but with Ederson everything is not so good, according to preliminary forecasts he will be able to return to the game in mid-April, so he will most likely miss the games with Arsenal and Aston Villa, and also possibly the first game with Real Madrid in CL.

To be honest, I didn't realize that several of Manchester City's main players had recently been injured, so if that were true then of course Arsenal's chances of winning would be even greater. Manchester City doesn't feel special without De Bruyne in their squad, and neither does Ederson. These two players are needed in the Manchester City squad because of their influence, but if they are absent due to injury, of course Manchester City will have to work extra hard later.

I know Manchester City still holds the advantage because they are playing at home, but without De Bruyne's presence the team's performance is difficult to expect. Pep Guardiola will have to be extra careful when hosting Arsenal at the Etihad and he may need to consider the worst consequences of being without his two best pillars in the main line-up.

[lizarder]

There is no information about De Bruyne yet, let's hope that the injury is not so serious. It became known that Walker will be able to play against Arsenal, the injury was not serious, this is good, but with Ederson everything is not so good, according to preliminary forecasts he will be able to return to the game in mid-April, so he will most likely miss the games with Arsenal and Aston Villa, and also possibly the first game with Real Madrid in CL

If De Bruyne can't play, I think Man City's attack will decrease a little more because I see De Bruyne is the brain of the attack regulator for Man City. When he can't play, Man City's game patterns will definitely change a little and too many players who cannot play will be quite detrimental to Man City. I hope the injury is not too severe and he can play for the big match because when they lose points in this match it will make them a little difficult to pursue champions.

If this happens Arsenal will be a little more profitable and they can play more openly and not too worried about Man City's quick attack patterns. Despite losing some important players in Pep Guardiola's squad will not make their game change completely but Arsenal can be a little easier to target the draw.

[lalabotax]

Apparently 5 EPL teams will be able to qualify for the Champions League next season through league position. This had something to do with West Ham eliminating Freiburg in Europa League, which boosted England's coefficient rank and moved them above Germany, meaning EPL will earn an additional UCL spot.
This is explained in this article:
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12940385/five-champions-league-places-for-premier-league-how-extra-team-can-qualify-in-2024

So there's still some hope for Man United and Ten Hag.

It is interesting to see 5 EPL teams in UCL for the next season. Honestly, I just know this rule, I never know that it is possible to have 5 teams in UCL. However, if it is true, it means Tottenham and Man United may qualify for the UCL next season. In EPL standings, Tottenham and Man United are in the 5th place and 6th place. It means one of these 2 teams possibly qualify for the UCL. Well, Man United has a chance but it seems Tottenham still has a better opportunity for the UCL spot.

Manchester City seemed to experience a serious disaster at the end of the season and they had to lose several key players ahead of a crucial match. It seems that not only De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Ederson but Akanji and Stones were also hit by the same injury. But if it is true that Kyle Walker can recover more quickly, of course that will be quite good and at least their defense will not be as weak as we think.

Where do you get this information?
It will be serious problem to lose those key players. I can't imagine if Man City to lose Ederson, De Bruyne, Akanji, Kyle Walker, and Stones.
I don't know how Man City to face strong opponents in UCL if these players will be unavailable.

[marcous]

-snip-

There is no information about De Bruyne yet, let's hope that the injury is not so serious. It became known that Walker will be able to play against Arsenal, the injury was not serious, this is good, but with Ederson everything is not so good, according to preliminary forecasts he will be able to return to the game in mid-April, so he will most likely miss the games with Arsenal and Aston Villa, and also possibly the first game with Real Madrid in CL.

To be honest, I didn't realize that several of Manchester City's main players had recently been injured, so if that were true then of course Arsenal's chances of winning would be even greater. Manchester City doesn't feel special without De Bruyne in their squad, and neither does Ederson. These two players are needed in the Manchester City squad because of their influence, but if they are absent due to injury, of course Manchester City will have to work extra hard later.

I know Manchester City still holds the advantage because they are playing at home, but without De Bruyne's presence the team's performance is difficult to expect. Pep Guardiola will have to be extra careful when hosting Arsenal at the Etihad and he may need to consider the worst consequences of being without his two best pillars in the main line-up.

The fear that all coaches have when releasing key players to strengthen their respective countries is injury, Peg Guardiola and Arteta are feeling this right now. We hope that the City versus Arsenal match will be fierce, and both teams can field their best lineups. Undoubtedly, losing key players is a big loss for the team, the two coaches certainly have to find a solution to their absence from matches.

Walker, De Bruyne, Stones, Ederson are key players in City main squad, Pep Guardiola will certainly be confused if he cannot play them in the match against Arsenal. Meanwhile, Arteta himself is also facing the same situation, where three of his players Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Martinelli, and Saka are also reportedly injured. However, I am sure that the match will still be fierce, even though both teams will play a little cautiously.

On the other hand, City is lucky because they act as hosts, this will be an opportunity for revenge for their defeat in the first half of the season. Arsenal, who is currently in an impressive trend, will of course fight tooth and nail to maintain their secure position at the top of the standings. Even though victory tends to favor City, in my opinion Arsenal also have a chance to create a surprise.

[Raflesia]

Before leaving Manchester United, Ronaldo had said that the club needed some change. The owners have been changed and the staff also has been changed. Some of the top names in the world are in the director and higher up positions. my thinking is  Erik Ten Hag deserves another chance to perform under these new staff.

When talking about the owner of the club actually in my opinion the owner is still fixed because after all Glazer did not release all of his shares owned in Manchester United so this is still the same as before even though there is Sir Jim Ratcliffe but he is only one of the owners apart from Glazer where Sir Jim Ratcliffe's shares are the second largest after Glazer.
Although it is a good thing but in my opinion the conditions remain the same as before where the owner still has not moved completely.
As for Ten Hag, this is a fity-fifty because he can still be retained especially Sir Jim Ratcliffe really likes the way he works but on the other hand he must also be able to change his bad habits by always prioritizing personal ego in the coaching he runs.
He must lower his ego so that the club's performance becomes better than at present where even though it looks fine but their internals are always hot with player and coach disputes.

[mv1986]

Before leaving Manchester United, Ronaldo had said that the club needed some change. The owners have been changed and the staff also has been changed. Some of the top names in the world are in the director and higher up positions. my thinking is  Erik Ten Hag deserves another chance to perform under these new staff.

When talking about the owner of the club actually in my opinion the owner is still fixed because after all Glazer did not release all of his shares owned in Manchester United so this is still the same as before even though there is Sir Jim Ratcliffe but he is only one of the owners apart from Glazer where Sir Jim Ratcliffe's shares are the second largest after Glazer.
Although it is a good thing but in my opinion the conditions remain the same as before where the owner still has not moved completely.
As for Ten Hag, this is a fity-fifty because he can still be retained especially Sir Jim Ratcliffe really likes the way he works but on the other hand he must also be able to change his bad habits by always prioritizing personal ego in the coaching he runs.
He must lower his ego so that the club's performance becomes better than at present where even though it looks fine but their internals are always hot with player and coach disputes.

It could become an extremely complicated case in the future for Manchester United to draw conclusions, make decisions and drive forward their football operations. Ratcliffe and his consortium has bought 25% of the club and it is said that the Glazer's transfer responsibility for all operative issues to Ratcliffe and co. But the issue is that at the end of the day the Glazers still have the majority in voting power, but for now they prefer to step back and let someone else do the job. But if the job doesn't go well, of course they will again use their voting power to intervene. I think no contracts have been leaked yet, but eventually it doesn't matter what the contract says when there is one party owning 69% of the shares, they still have superiority in voting power and therefore can make sure that all big decisions follow whatever path they dictate for the club.

[Webetcoins]

9 games would be enough for United to go up, doesn't mean that they will, it just means that the possibility is still there. Of course the more Villa and Spurs wins, the less chance United would have, plus on top of those two losing points, we should have United not losing a single point as well. It's still possible, but I think sixth would be what they should be aiming at. That would be quite good deal and I think they should be happy with what they have, do not see any reason why they should change it.

I believe that we are going to see United do better next season, so many great young kids, and they are finally putting together a decent eleven, they had many tries but finally figured it out, a few more transfers to defense and one winger, and they should be top four easily.

[baeva]

I think Arsenal has a better chance of beating Manchester City in their Premier League match on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. Three Manchester City players were injured while on international duty for England, and there are doubts about being ready for the Arsenal match. This will be an advantage for Arsenal. Arsenal will dominate most of that match because John Stones and Kyle Walker are among the injured Manchester City players.

Arsenal have to work harder, i don't think they have any better chances because i just saw this now from there Telegram channel that Kevin De Bruyne is going to be fit for Man City vs Arsenal this Sunday, Kevin De Bruyne is one of the key players that will make it difficult for Arsenal to defeat them, and i want you to remember that arsenal playing away match against the current champions which are still strong, despite arsenal had won them twice this season i don't consider it to be the same because this match is very important for both the teams to determine who will lead the league on table.

Manchester City are always ready, it doesn't matter if Kevin is ready or not, he can be substituted. Even if it will not be a full-fledged replacement for him, but they will not play worse. At least Foden can be put in his position, he will replace him perfectly. But still, if he's ready to play, the balance of power is in favour of MC for now

[tiCeR]

I think Arsenal has a better chance of beating Manchester City in their Premier League match on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. Three Manchester City players were injured while on international duty for England, and there are doubts about being ready for the Arsenal match. This will be an advantage for Arsenal. Arsenal will dominate most of that match because John Stones and Kyle Walker are among the injured Manchester City players.

Arsenal have to work harder, i don't think they have any better chances because i just saw this now from there Telegram channel that Kevin De Bruyne is going to be fit for Man City vs Arsenal this Sunday, Kevin De Bruyne is one of the key players that will make it difficult for Arsenal to defeat them, and i want you to remember that arsenal playing away match against the current champions which are still strong, despite arsenal had won them twice this season i don't consider it to be the same because this match is very important for both the teams to determine who will lead the league on table.

Manchester City are always ready, it doesn't matter if Kevin is ready or not, he can be substituted. Even if it will not be a full-fledged replacement for him, but they will not play worse. At least Foden can be put in his position, he will replace him perfectly. But still, if he's ready to play, the balance of power is in favour of MC for now

Kevin De Bruyne in the best shape possible being absent makes the team worse. I don't wanna come up with a % number by how much the team is worse, but what would the point be of being proud to have this exceptional player when he does not give the team some % points in extra performance? No, for me he is one of the best midifielders/midfield-wingers of all times. There is hardly any player who understood as well how to put his teammates into the perfect position to score. His assist numbers are widely unmatched. I don't know whether there is a leaderboard regarding number of assists historically, but if there is, I am sure he is to be found in the top 5 of all times. I am not sure how it would not be a loss for a team if such a player is absent.