Manchester City will face off against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they look to win and secure yet another League Cup trophy under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage. The Mancunian giants managed to beat Aston Villa by a narrow 2-1 scoreline in midweek which will give them a timely confidence boost ahead of this exciting cup final at the English capital.
However, it won’t be an easy job for the Premier League leaders as Spurs will be in high spirits as well because they are coming into this game on the back of an impressive 2-1 win against Southampton earlier this week.
Guardiola won’t have the services of John Stones for this game due to suspension. Plus, Kevin De Bruyne could also miss this match because of an ankle injury while Sergio Aguero is a significant concern for this weekend as he continues to recover from his muscle injury. As long as Man City can avoid getting complacent, they have enough quality in their first-team to get the better of the North London club on Sunday.
Here are three things Guardiola should do for his men to pick up a victory over Spurs this weekend.
Give Gabriel Jesus The License To Lead The Line Down The Middle
Even though Jesus has found goals hard to come by in recent weeks, yet he is a hard-working centre-forward who loves to keep the opposition defenders on their toes during the 90 minutes. Hence, Guardiola should think about giving the Brazilian sensation the license to spearhead his attack up top. His selfless runs in the final third could open up some space for the other Man City stars to dominate the game inside the Tottenham half.
Name Aymeric Laporte Alongside Ruben Dias In Central Defence
Aymeric Laporte has got the experience and winning mindset to help the Mancunian giants keep things solid at the back in this cup final. He could form a solid partnership with Ruben Dias at the heart of Guardiola’s defence as they collectively try to keep the Spurs attackers frustrated throughout the 90 minutes. Hence, the Man City boss would be wise to include Laporte in his first-team this weekend.
Instruct Rodri And Fernandinho To Anchor The Midfield
Guardiola should consider playing Fernandinho alongside Rodri at the centre of the park which would free up space for Ilkay Gundongan to express himself in the final third. Both Rodri and Fernandinho know how to disrupt the opposition’s rhythm in midfield. Plus, they can also pick out a killer pass in the attacking end of the pitch.
Rodri played the full 90 minutes against the Villans in midweek and even managed to get his name on the scoresheet. In contrast, Fernandinho got some much-needed rest on the bench. Hence, we can expect both of them to be raring to put on a good show in the League Cup final this weekend.
