Manchester City will be hoping to improve their lacklustre run of form when they play host to high-flying Tottenham Hotspur.
Things have not gone as per plan for Pep Guardiola. After taking over at the helm in the summer, a lot was expected from the manager who tasted success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before embarking on his journey in the Premier League.
At the start, it seemed that the master tactician had English football all figured out as his side won ten games on the spin. But after their first defeat, at the hands of Tottenham, things have started to go south for the Citizens.
An ageing back-line was not reinforced considerably in the summer, with John Stones being the only first-team defender walking through the door. Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy are one of the oldest full-back pairings in the division, but surprisingly no replacements were roped in during the summer transfer window.
It has affected the performances on the field as the Citizens now find themselves in serious danger of missing out on Champions League football. With 42 points from 21 matches, they find themselves in fifth place – ten points behind leaders Chelsea.
They will take on a Spurs side on Sunday that are brimming with confidence. The transition from a four-man defence to a back three has given the North London side solidity and has also seen the creative players enjoy the added freedom in front of goal without having to put in that much of a shift defensively.
Dele Alli has been one of their key men this term and has formed an exceptional understanding with Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen in the final third. He is also expected to sign an extension and commit his future to the club.
The trio are set to start against City, and given their defensive frailties, it could be a field day for the Tottenham attacking trio.
Probable Lineups
Claudio Bravo will start in goal with an expected centre-back pairing of Nicholas Otamendi and John Stones ahead of him. Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy are likely to start as right and left full-backs respectively.
Fernando is expected to fight off a minor injury to start in midfield with Yaya Toure. Raheem Sterling, David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne will start in the attacking midfield in-behind striker Sergio Aguero.
A three-man defence is expected to be employed by Pochettino with Ben Davies coming in for the injured Jan Vertonghen. In midfield, Victor Wanyama is likely to play a deeper and a more defensive role with Moussa Dembele playing as a box-to-box midfielder.
Kyle Walker and Danny Rose have been phenomenal as wing-backs and will continue giving width to the Spurs side. Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen will play slightly behind Harry Kane who is set to lead the line for the North London club.
Stats
- Manchester City have won five of their last six home Premier League games against Tottenham, though they did lose this fixture last season (1-2 in February).
- After a run which saw them score 26 goals in seven Premier League games against Tottenham, Man City have scored just three in their last four against the north London side.
- Manchester City have conceded 12 goals more than Spurs in the Premier League this season (26 v 14), despite allowing their opponents fewer shots (175 v 191).
- Tottenham have won their last six league games in a row – they’ve not won seven consecutively since May 1967.
- Last weekend’s 4-0 defeat to Everton was the heaviest league defeat that Pep Guardiola has suffered in his managerial career.
- Harry Kane has reached 60 Premier League goals in just 99 matches, which is quicker than any other Tottenham player has reached the landmark.
Watch out for
John Stones
The most expensive English defender in history is under serious scrutiny at the moment, and what better way to bounce back than against the league’s in-form team. John Stones has been fairly susceptible to amateur-esque errors this season, much of which has been due to Guardiola’s strategy of playing from the back. Claudio Bravo in goal has done a fairly average job of organising the defenders ahead of him, due to which Stones’ performances have plummeted considerably.
Betting Odds
Favourable Bets:
1. Full Time Result – Draw or Tottenham @ 1.72
2. Tottenham Asian Handicap Corners +1 @ 1.950
3. Over 1.5 Manchester City Cards @ 1.61
Underdog Bets:
1. Tottenham to win @ 3.60
Prediction
Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs have been too hot to handle of late and City’s bad run of form will do them no favours against a rampant side looking to challenge for the Premier League. Defensively Tottenham have been sound, while their wing-backs have been excellent with their positional play throughout the season. The Citizens, on the other hand, look to be a considerably aged and on the slower side. That could cost them the game and possibly end their title challenge for good this season.
