Tottenham Hotspur will host Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, looking to pick up a morale-boosting win at home.
Tottenham Hotspur, who face Manchester City next, are currently fifth in the league table and they managed to bounce back from consecutive defeats with a narrow away win over Fulham in their last league game.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are coming into this game on the back of four wins from their last six league matches. They are already five points adrift of the league leaders Arsenal and the defending champions cannot afford to slip up anymore if they want to bridge the gap with the Gunners.
Manchester City picked up a 4-2 win at home when the two sides met in January and Spurs will be looking to avenge that defeat here.
Tottenham vs Manchester City: Three key players to look out for
Team News and Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
The home side will be without the services of Lucas Moura and Pape Matar Sarr because of injuries. Richarlison is expected to make the matchday squad, but the Brazilian is unlikely to be handed a start here.
Antonio Conte is likely to field his side in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Hugo Lloris in goal. Cristian Romero is set to partner with Eric Dier and Clement Lenglet in the back three. They will be expected to help Spurs build from the back and keep the likes of Erling Haaland in check.
Meanwhile, Emerson Royal is expected to start as the right-sided wingback despite the signing of Pedro Porro on deadline day. Ivan Perisic is likely to be deployed as the left-sided wing-back.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will partner Rodrigo Bentancur at the heart of the midfield. While the Denmark international will anchor the midfield and break up the opposition play, Bentancur will look to recycle the ball and add a drive in the middle of the park.
Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min will add creativity and goals from the wide areas and Harry Kane is all set to lead the line for the London club.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson Royal, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Son; Kane
Manchester City
Manchester City are without John stones because of an injury against Tottenham Hotspur. Pep Guardiola is likely to deploy his side in a 3-4-2-1 formation as well. Ederson Moraes is set to start in goal. In the back three, Kyle Walker will partner with Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake.
Riyad Mahrez is expected to be deployed as the right-sided wing-back here, with Jack Grealish on the left. Midfielder Rico Lewis could be handed a start here alongside Rodri in the middle of the park. While Rodri will look to break up the Tottenham play, Lewis will hope to retain possession here.
The two are likely to be helped by Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, who will operate as the attacking midfielders here. They will look to provide creativity in the final third and drop down to overload the midfield in an attempt to dominate possession. Erling Haaland is all set to lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Ake; Mahrez, Lewis, Rodri, Grealish; Gundogan, De Bruyne; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City are undefeated in 29 of their last 32 matches in the Premier League.
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Tottenham have kept a clean sheet in their last four home matches against Manchester City in all competitions.
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Tottenham have won their last four home matches against Manchester City in all competitions.
- 11 goals have been scored in the last two meetings between Tottenham and Manchester City.
- Tottenham have kept a clean sheet in four of their last six matches across all competitions.
Player to watch
Harry Kane
The England international has been Tottenham’s best player this season. The only reason he has gone under the radar is because of how well Erling Haaland has performed. But that has still not detracted suitors like Manchester United.
Kane has scored 16 goals in the Premier League, and he will be Tottenham’s main weapon against a vulnerable Manchester City defence. The England international has done well against City in the past and he will look to hurt them once again. The Spurs talisman is our man to watch this weekend and Spurs look to strengthen their top four chances with a home win.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester City
Both teams are capable of picking up all three points here, and this should be a cracker of a contest. The last two meetings between Tottenham and Manchester City have been packed with goals, and this one is unlikely to be any different.
Both Tottenham and Manchester City will look to play for the three points and this should be an open contest with a fair few chances for either side. A high-scoring draw is on the cards here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw.
