Manchester City face off against Tottenham Hotspur tonight in what Pep Guardiola has described as a must-win match if they are to harbour hopes of beating in-form Arsenal to the Premier League title.
The Sky Blues are chasing a record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title but will need to collect three points at a ground they are yet to win in the league since its inception in 2019. In fact, they are yet to score in the league at this stadium with their sole win coming in the form of a 0-1 victory in the FA Cup this season.
TEAM NEWS
Pep Guardiola passed Jack Grealish fit after illness had forced him to sit out of the Fulham fixture. The manager also described Nathan Ake as ‘much better than yesterday’ and stressed his availability depended on the training sessions leading upto the game.
PREDICTED MAN CITY LINEUP vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-1-4-1)
DEFENCE
Ederson will take up his usual spot in goal and will be tasked with keeping a clean sheet against the likes of Son and Richarlison.
Kyle Walker was dropped for the Fulham fixture but had to grace the bench for just 22 minutes with Nathan Ake hobbling off midway through the first-half. The former Spurs player will likely get the chance to feature from the start in the Man City lineup at right-back tonight.
Ake and Akanji had a solid partnership going but Pep is unlikely to take a risk given the importance of the occasion. Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias are thus expected to form the centre-back pairing with the in-form Josko Gvardiol taking up the left-back spot in the Man City lineup.
MIDFIELD
Rodri is the first name on the team sheet and will play the anchor role. He is likely to be aided by Mateo Kovacic who has been impressive in recent weeks. The Croatian will play further forward but is likely to be in a floating role as with most of the players in Pep’s system.
The control both bring to the proceedings is of paramount importance for the functioning of the side.
Kevin de Bruyne is likely to be stationed alongside Kovacic. The Belgian was looking sharp against the Cottagers and the fans will be demanding an encore from their favourite midfielder.
ATTACK
Jack Grealish would have offered stability and control on the left but given the relative success of the attacking setup in the previous game, Pep might not be too inclined towards change.
Thus, Phil Foden should be playing on the left-wing with Bernardo Silva on the right in the Man City lineup.
Erling Haaland will not be remembering the Fulham game too fondly and will instead look to delve into the memories of the Wolves game in order to conjure up his magic once again.
