“No reason to bench him”, “Pep is a very bald man” – Fans in disbelief as 2 Manchester City stars are dropped from the starting line-up for Leicester clash

Manchester City fans are in disbelief following Pep Guardiola's decision to drop Ruben Dias and Phil Foden to the bench for their clash with Leicester City on 29 October.

Manchester City head to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester and continue their title hunt. Guardiola's men sit second, trailing league leaders Arsenal by two points.

Guardiola has dropped Dias and Foden for the encounter with the Foxes and it is a decision that has not gone down well with fans.

Dias, 25, has made 15 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal. The Portuguese has been a mainstay in Guardiola's defense.

He played the full 90 minutes of City's last two outings in a 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 22 October and their 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund on 25 October.

However, he is selected on the bench with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte chosen as defensive partners against Leicester.

Meanwhile, Foden, 22, has been in superb form this season, netting seven goals and contributing three assists in 16 appearances across competitions.

The English attacker was benched in the victory over Brighton but came on in the 62nd minute.

He played 81 minutes of the draw with Dortmund but will settle for a place on the bench against Leicester.

Meanwhile, Ederson is chosen in goal with Manuel Akanji and Joao Cancelo joining Stones and Laporte in defense.

Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri have been selected in midfield whilst Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish line up behind Julian Alvarez in attack.

🔵 TEAM NEWS 🔵

XI | Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Bernardo, Alvarez, Grealish

SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Dias, Ake, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand

#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide https://t.co/gYJUIL7Y9V

Manchester City can move above Arsenal by a point with a win over Leicester but supporters are criticizing Guardiola's decision over Dias and Foden.

Here are some reactions from fans on Twitter to the duo being benched at the King Power Stadium:

@ManCity @HaysWorldwide Foden and Dias benched dfkm

@ManCity @HaysWorldwide Why leaving Foden out?

@ManCity @HaysWorldwide good team but why is Dias benched blud

@ManCity @HaysWorldwide Why bench Foden when Halaand is not fit

@ManCity @HaysWorldwide That back line looks shaky without Dias

@4lex_mcfc You think foden is out of favour again ? no reason to bench him... considering WC coming up and how good he's been for the city team

Why does Ruben Dias always get benched?

Arguably City’s best CB…

Pep is a very bald man.

Manchester City boss Guardiola said that Alvarez is ready after Erling Haaland sits out clash with Leicester

Haaland will sit out the meeting with Leicester after picking up a knock to the knee against BvB in the Champions League.

Alvarez has been chosen in place of the Norweigan but the young Argentine has big boots to fill.

Haaland has been irrepressible since arriving in the summer from Dortmund for £54 million.

The forward has bagged 22 goals in 16 appearances across competitions.

Meanwhile, Alvarez has managed four goals in 15 appearances but Guardiola says the Argentine is ready to fill the void left by Haaland.

The Manchester City boss said (via the club's official website):

"Normally when Erling is not ready, Julian is the first option. Of course we are going to play him, definitely. He can play in a false nine, but I don't think this will happen."

He added:

"I think Julian can drop and is good [at] dropping, so if Erling is not playing, not tomorrow, for the future, Julian is the first option."