Preview
It wasn’t long ago that these two served up a classic at the Etihad. But Spurs and Man City do battle again as the fight at the top of the table continues. Spurs will be without boss Antonio Conte after he had surgery in midweek.
When Tottenham and Manchester City square off in London on Sunday in the early afternoon, Tottenham will be looking to exact retribution for a 4-2 setback at Etihad Stadium. Harry Kane’s goal gave Spurs the victory over Fulham in the London derby, and the following weekend, Spurs eliminated Preston in the FA Cup’s round of 32.
Although Antonio Conte’s team has restored much-needed confidence, the oddsmakers still rank them, underdogs, in the Sunday matchup. This time, the Italian tactician ought to have a full team to pick from. Pep Guardiola’s team wants to build on their FA Cup victory over Arsenal.
Tottenham is three points outside the top four heading into the weekend and has played a game more than fourth-placed Manchester United. Manchester City has played one more than Arsenal and sits five points behind at present, though Arsenal has the chance to make it eight points when they play 24 hours earlier. They did beat the Gunners in their last outing in the FA Cup, a result that made it three wins on the bounce.
Form Guide: Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur has won two straight games without allowing a goal. First up, a road 1-0 loss to Fulham; second, a 3-0 FA Cup defeat in Preston. The Spurs defense was their weakest point as they lost to Arsenal and Man City, respectively, by scores of 0-2 and 4-2.
Tottenham has exhibited these oscillations throughout the entire season, struggling to establish a routine and develop some consistency in the back line. At the Tottenham Stadium, six of their last seven games have been with modest effectiveness, meaning two or three goals. However, Tottenham only managed to win two games throughout that time.
Tottenham comes into this game off the back of two away wins – a 1-0 win over Fulham last time out in the league, before a morale-boosting 3-0 win in the FA Cup against Preston, notable for a Heung-Min Son brace.
But at home, Hugo Lloris and his backline have been sloppy defensively and have conceded at least twice in each of their last five Premier League home matches. And as we’ll come onto, they’ve also tellingly conceded the first goal in each of those five games
Form Guide: Manchester City
Manchester City (-120) won three straight games, defeating Tottenham 4-2, Wolves 3-0, and Arsenal 1-0. The last match was in the FA Cup, while the first two were in the Premier League. These fights happened all at the Etihad Stadium.
The Citizens’ last two away games were losses, and in Southampton, they were trounced 2-0, which resulted in their elimination from the Carabao Cup. The other matchup took place at Old Trafford between Manchester United and City. We must mention that officials played a huge role in United’s 2-1 victory over City.
Overall, their events on the road have seen plenty of defense this year, with the Citizens locking their back line. In six of the last 10 of them, we saw them posting clean sheets, and in eight of the recent ten games, just one side scored.
Erling Haaland, a big attacker who is expected to be a headache for the rival defense, is still the championship holders’ go-to player. The desire of the Citizens to defeat Spurs and erase Arsenal’s lead in the Premier League standings can be seen in their desire for this victory.
How the game could go
Spurs, who threw a two-goal lead away when visiting City only a few weeks ago, remain in the hunt for Champions League qualification but have little more margin for error. It has often felt like they are approaching crisis, though three points here would ramp up the pressure on Manchester United and Newcastle.
Spurs will be eager to exact their revenge against City, though it could come at the expense of handing their arch-rivals a huge boost toward the Premier League title. Guardiola’s side is five points behind Arsenal, though the Gunners have a game in hand.
Indeed, this is far from a vintage City side, at the moment at least. Erling Haaland brings goals but the champions have certainly seen their level drop this season, with even Pep Guardiola criticizing them.
They cannot afford to drop many more points on the trail of Arsenal at the top of the League. We expect a fight from both ends of the pitch in this fixture and we would see nothing but exciting performances from both sides today.
Betting Predictions
Manchester City to win
Manchester City has a lot at stake for this fixture same as Tottenham but we are sure of a repeat of the beatdown we experienced just two weeks ago. Manchester City would want to keep the pace at the top and let Arsenal know they are breathing down their necks. With the quality of players on the Manchester City side and also the absence of coach Antonio Conte on the sidelines it is safe to say Manchester City can go ahead and win this one. Bet9ja have 1.76, 1xbet have 1.77 and Paripesa have 1.77 odds.
BTTS (YES)
We’re predicting goals in a game being played between two attacking sides in good form. Two of the last four meetings between Man City and Tottenham have ended with both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals being produced. At least three goals have been scored in four of Man City’s last five outings as well as in two of Tottenham’s last four fixtures. Both teams have scored in two of Tottenham’s last six matches in the League and two of City’s last four outings, so you can see why we’re backing goals in this game. Bet9ja have 1.58 odds, Paripesa have 1.63 and 1xbet have 1.63 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Tottenham)
Harry Kane
Harry Kane will be Tottenham’s main man once again, and he’s on the cusp of a big milestone. Kane has scored 199 Premier League goals in 303 games, and a goal here would see him become the third player to reach 200 strikes after Alan Shearer (260) and Wayne Rooney (208). He has had a decent run this season in front of goals and we can see that continuing here against a leaky City defense. Bet9ja have 2.90 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.62.
Son Heung Min
Heung-min Son’s two goals against Preston will see him continue up-front despite a poor season. He looks to be on a mission to revive his season and there is no better way to do it than against the former champions. He has a decent history against this side and we are counting on that to be the reason why we can see him scoring here today. Bet9ja have 3.80 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 4.00.
Anytime Goalscorer (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland
Led by the unstoppable Erling Haaland, Man City is one of the few teams with the firepower to outscore anyone. It’s difficult to know what City will turn up, though Haaland could prove decisive. Spurs are hardly proving difficult to score against at the moment and the Norway international is on course to break all manner of records in England. Bet9ja have 2.05 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 1.80.
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez was the catalyst behind Manchester City’s turnaround last month, with the Algerian having a hand in three of the Citizens’ goals in their 4-2 win. Mahrez has been involved in more EPL goals against Tottenham than he has any other opponent (11 – seven goals, four assists), He gave Ivan Perisic and then Ryan Sessegnon a torrid time, and once again he’ll be a big threat out wide. Bet9ja have 3.20 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.60.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
