Tottenham Hotspur will host Manchester City in the EFL Cup round of 16 on Wednesday night, looking to book their place in the next stage of the competition.
Tottenham Hotspur will be desperate to end their wait for trophies this season, and the EFL will be one of their best opportunities to win Ange Postecoglou’s promised silverware as they get set to welcome Manchester City to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs are coming into this game on the back of a shock defeat against Crystal Palace this past weekend, and they will be desperate to announce back strongly. Postecoglou will expect a strong reaction from the players, and it will be interesting to see if they can step up and deliver.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are in impressive form right now, and they picked up a comfortable victory over Southampton on Saturday. The reigning Premier League champions will look to continue their recent run of form and grind out a positive result here.
Pep Guardiola’s will certainly fancy their chances of beating any team in the country, and that should be no different against Tottenham. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Djed Spence and Son Heung-min are ruled out with groin and thigh injuries, respectively. Wilson Odobert will miss out with a thigh issue as well. Tottenham Hotspur are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Manchester City, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie will start as the full-backs, and they will look to keep things compact at the back and hit Manchester City on the break. Cristian Romero will start alongside Micky van de Ven at the heart of the defence.
Yves Bissouma will start alongside Pape Matar Sarr in the midfield double pivot. The two players will look to shield the back four and break up Manchester City attacks. James Maddison will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his side in the final third.
Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Finally, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison; Solanke
Manchester City
Manchester City will be without newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner Rodri because of an ACL injury. Kevin De Bruyne has a groin issue, Oscar Bobb is out with a leg injury, and Kyle Walker misses out due to a knee injury. Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are ruled out with undisclosed problems as well.
Manchester City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Tottenham, with Ederson Moraes in goal. Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Manuel Akanji will start at the heart of the defence alongside Ruben Dias.
Ilkay Gundogan will start alongside John Stones in the midfield double pivot. The England international will look to protect the back four and break up the opposition attacks, while Gundogan will look to add creativity and control.
Phil Foden will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities with his passing and vision. Savinho and James McAtee should feature in the wide areas against Tottenham, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Stones; Savinho, Foden, McAtee; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City are unbeaten in four of their last six matches against Tottenham.
- 21 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Tottenham have picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
The Manchester City striker is our key player to watch out for. He has been in exceptional form this season, scoring 14 goals in all competitions. Haaland will look to get on the scoresheet here and send his side through to the next round. Spurs will have to be at their best defensively to grind out a win here and keep the Norwegian international quiet.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Manchester City
Both teams are capable of picking up a win here, and this is likely to be a close contest. It will be difficult to separate the two teams, but Manchester City have more quality in the final third, and they should be able to edge out a positive result.
Pep Guardiola’s men have more depth in the squad, and they are likely to field a full-strength side here. A narrow win for the visitors is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Guardiola and his charges.