Tottenham Hotspur will welcome Manchester City this Wednesday in a crunch Premier League encounter.
Both sides have experienced lows this season, although their lead-up to the contest is quite contrasting. Spurs managed to put their dire straits behind with three consecutive wins in the league against Brentford, Manchester City and Ipswich Town, the latter of whom they battered 4-1 over the weekend.
On the other hand, Manchester City’s unprecedented crisis extended with a painful 2-0 defeat against Liverpool on Sunday, having previously been thrashed 4-1 by Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Spurs are undoubtedly soaring in confidence after the impressive run they have embarked on, though they can’t afford to slow down since they are 12th in the league table.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, who had been on the firing line, must be relieved to see his side regain momentum but he is aware the job is not done until they continue pushing for European places.
Meanwhile, with nothing to lose, Manchester City will look to play for pride and try to cap off the season by finishing inside the Champions League places. However, they will be looking over their shoulder, with teams like Newcastle United, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brighton also in the mix.
With their confidence level at an utmost low, the Cityzens should try to find a way to end their rough patch and get back to their best. Sitting fourth in the table by a fine margin, the Sky Blues could not afford further setbacks in the upcoming games.
Team News
Although Tottenham have a stacked injury list, they have no fresh injury concerns. Their defensive options are thin with the absence of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin, but the likes of Archie Gray and Kevin Danso are making up for it with their impressive performances. Timo Werner is also said to be close to returning to action from injury, though his involvement against Manchester City remains doubtful. Meanwhile, Mathys Tel will continue to lead the attack in the absence of Dominic Solanke.
As for Manchester City, Injuries have proven to be their Achilles heel this season, with several players regularly being sidelined. Pep Guardiola also remains coy over the fitness of star striker Erling Haaland, who has missed the last two games against Real Madrid and Liverpool. Should the Norwegian miss the third game in a row, Omar Marmoush is expected to lead the attack.
Meanwhile, their defensive options are also thin due to injuries to Manuel Akanji and John Stones.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City probable line-ups
Predicted Tottenham Playing XI: Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Archie Gray, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Heung-min Son, Brennan Johnson, Mathys Tel
Predicted Manchester City Playing XI: Ederson, Rico Lewis, Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nico Gonzalez, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush.
Key Battles
Gvardiol vs Johnson
Brennan Johnson will look to use the sensational performance against Ipswich – where he scored a double – as a springboard for his revival and try to make a similar impact against the Cityzens. Josko Gvardiol will be tasked with stopping the dangerous winger, who can cause trouble with his directness and bursts of pace.
Marmoush vs Danso
Danso has been a colossus in Tottenham’s backline in recent games and he will look to continue his fine nick of form against the Cityzens. However, he will be up against Omar Marmoush, who despite being quiet in the past two games, can be a genuine threat with his intelligence on and off the ball. Spurs prefer to play a high line with relentless pressing, something Marmoush – who scored a hat-trick against Newcastle United – will look to exploit.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City – Where to watch?
United Kingdom
The Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City will be broadcast on TNT Sports 3.
United States
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City will be shown live on Peacock.
Prediction: Spurs 2-3 Manchester City