Manchester City will be bidding to bounce back from the Manchester derby defeat when they welcome Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
The Sky Blues suffered another blow to their Premier League title hopes, losing 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, albeit in controversial circumstances. Having endured back-to-back defeats—also being eliminated from the EFL Cup at the hands of Southampton last week—Pep Guardiola’s side Man City remain second in the rankings but are now eight points adrift of Arsenal.
The City boss will expect a stirring response from his boys against Spurs, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby.
Ruben Dias returned to training over the weekend after recovering from a hamstring injury at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, although he is unlikely to feature against Tottenham. John Stones missed the Manchester derby with an unspecified issue and, as a result, he remains doubtful.
Goalkeeper
Ederson is primed to hold his place in goal for City. He will be raring to keep a clean sheet against Spurs after conceding twice in four minutes in the Manchester derby.
Defence
Rotation could be on the cards in defence, as a fit and fresh Aymeric Laporte is aiming to force his way back into the starting XI. He could replace Nathan Ake, who had a poor outing against Man United. Manuel Akanji should keep his place in the team and partner Laporte in central defence, as the duo look to keep Harry Kane at bay.
Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo should operate from the right-back and left-back positions, respectively. They may get plenty of opportunities to get forward but must stay defensively switched on to stop Tottenham’s quick counter-attacks.
Midfield
Ilkay Gundogan is expected to replace Bernardo Silva after the Portuguese put in a substandard display at Old Trafford. Rodri is one of the first names on Guardiola’s team sheet and that won’t change in midweek, with Kevin de Bruyne an easy pick in the engine room.
The trio of Rodri, Gundogan and De Bruyne should enjoy plenty of possession but what they do with the ball against Spurs will be important to watch.
Attack
Erling Haaland cut an anonymous figure against Man United at Old Trafford, so he will be raring to make a mark and get himself on the scoresheet against Spurs. The Norwegian could be flanked by Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez.
Grealish came off the bench and made an immediate impact by scoring against Man United. As a result, he deserves to get the nod ahead of Phil Foden on the left, with the lively and rapid Alvarez hoping to enjoy a productive night off the opposite flank.
The likes of Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden will be on the bench as they hope to make an impact if called upon by Guardiola.
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