Manchester City will play hosts to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening looking to make it two wins in a row in the Premier League. The Citizens are attempting to win their third successive league title, so getting maximum points against Spurs could send a strong message to Liverpool as the two teams gear up for another gruelling title race this season.
However, the North London giants have strengthened wisely over the summer and will be no push-overs this weekend. Spurs need to earn a positive result versus Man City if they are to build an ideal platform for a realistic title charge in this campaign.
This encounter has the makings of an exciting contest as both teams will go all out for the three points.
Talking Tactics
Pep Guardiola might choose to stick with his favoured 4-3-3 formation with Sergio Aguero reclaiming his place in the Man City frontline. The Spanish head coach will expect his players to put in a dominant display against Spurs as they try to get some revenge after being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by the North London outfit last season. Gabriel Jesus could get a chance to make an impact in the second half if required.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to opt for a 4-4-2 (diamond) set-up and might keep changes to a minimum for this Saturday’s league contest at the Etihad. The Spurs boss would hope that his players can get a stranglehold in the game early on and make it tough for Man City to break them down at the back.
Team News
Manchester City
Leroy Sane is still sidelined after suffering an injury against Liverpool in the FA Community Shield. This match might also come too soon for Benjamin Mendy as he continues to recover from his recent injury setback. Other than that, Guardiola will have a full squad of players to choose from this weekend.
Manchester City Predicted XI
Ederson Moraes; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Oleksander Zinchenko; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, David Silva; Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling
Tottenham Hotspur
Pochettino has got a few players missing in action so he might be forced to name the same starting XI that faced off against Aston Villa last weekend. Ben Davies is a major doubt for this game and will be in a race against time to be fit for a place on the Tottenham bench.
Tottenham Hotspur Predicted XI
Hugo Lloris; Kyle Walker-Peters, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Danny Rose; Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele, Erik Lamela; Lucas Moura, Harry Kane
Key Men
Manchester City
Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling will be expected to get the goals which will make the difference against Tottenham this weekend. Kevin De Bruyne is getting better with each game so the Belgian will once again play a crucial role as part of the Citizens midfield.
Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Kane will have the responsibility to lead the line for Spurs at the Etihad Stadium. The English striker managed to score a quickfire brace versus the Villans, so his confidence will be sky high heading into this league encounter.
Tanguy Ndombele will also need to have a good game at the heart of Pochettino’s midfield if Spurs are to come out on top against the reigning champions of England.
Odds
The bookies have made Manchester City the clear favourites to secure a win versus Pochettino’s men this weekend after they were priced at 4/11. The draw is listed as 17/4 while Spurs are as big as 15/2 underdogs to pull off an upset in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
