Manuel Pellegrini's men trailed leaders Chelsea by eight points after being held to a 2-2 draw at QPR on November 8, and also looked set to face UEFA Champions League heartache following two disappointing results against Group E rivals CSKA Moscow.
However, the Premier League champions have since reeled off six wins on the spin in all competitions, breathing new life into their season.
They are now only three points adrift of Chelsea and will head to Leicester in high spirits after securing a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with an impressive 2-0 victory at Roma on Wednesday.
James Milner, one of his side's star performers in the Stadio Olimpico, said: "We started the season sloppily, but since the last international break we have hit form and got results.
"We have played well in some games and not so well in others, but still managed to grind out the results, and that is massively important."
City's success in Rome was all the more laudable given that three key players - Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure - were absent through injury or suspension.
Aguero, the Premier League's top scorer with 14 goals from 15 appearances, is set to be absent until the new year due to the knee problem he picked up in last weekend's 1-0 victory over Everton.
However, Pellegrini can welcome back Toure, whose ban only applies to UEFA competitions, while skipper Kompany is anticipated to return from a hamstring injury.
In contrast to their opponents this weekend, Leicester come into the game in dismal form, having gone 10 matches without a win.
Nigel Pearson's men have picked up only two points since their thrilling 5-3 triumph over Manchester United in September and will remain in the bottom three even if they secure another shock success on Saturday.
Leicester are at least boosted by the return of captain Wes Morgan from suspension and Paul Konchesky is also available after his red card in last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa was rescinded.
Zoumana Bakayogo (knee) remains sidelined, but Matthew Upson (foot) and Dean Hammond (calf) could make their first-team comebacks.
City were victorious at Leicester last December, winning a League Cup quarter-final 3-1 thanks largely to two goals from Edin Dzeko.
