Manchester City are making things look seamlessly easy for themselves in the Premier League, for they have been absolutely unstoppable under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola. They extended their winning run to 15 games after their 4-0 win at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea City this past midweek.
Guardiola’s men are currently placed at the top of the division table, having accumulated 49 points from 17 games and have a lead of 11 points over second place Manchester United. They are set to welcome Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and it promises to be a nail-biting fixture.
Here is how we expected Guardiola to place his starting line-up against Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Defence
Ederson Moraes continues to be the first choice goalkeeper for Guardiola in the league and he has indeed been impressive for his side ever since he joined. He is expected to keep his place between the sticks this weekend.
Kyle Walker was rested during City’s game against the Swans and he is expected to make a return to the starting line-up once again, ahead of Danilo, at the right-back position. From the left-back slot, Fabian Delph is likely to start once again owing to the effectiveness he has shown from this position.
Vincent Kompany and John Stones are still out, which means Mangala and Otamendi are likely to start at the heart of the defence
Midfield
Fernandinho’s industry and resilience have really come handy for City and he continues to be the best option for Guardiola deep in the midfield. He has been thoroughly reliable and Pep needs his deepest midfielder to continue his good run of form.
The gaffer has two of the finest playmakers in the game in the form of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, and both of them are expected to be accommodated in the central midfield. Silva scored a brace against Swansea City, whereas De Bruyne also found the back of the net once again last time out.
Attack
Up front, Sergio Aguero is likely to start owing to his experience in such a big game ahead of Gabriel Jesus. To support him, Leroy Sane would be a wise choice to opt at the left-wing and Raheem Sterling could start on the right. Sterling has at times been used in a false nine role to good effect by Guardiola and the same could continue against Tottenham.
