Man City vs Tottenham: Line-ups
Man City
Tottenham
Man City Expected to Win
#1
The two giants of the English game endured contrasting fortunes in the FA Cup in midweek, with Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking Man City easing to a 3-1 win at Swansea while Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham lost 5-4 at Everton after extra time. Spurs came up trumps 2-0 in the first meeting between the clubs earlier in the season, but the visitors find themselves 14 points behind their runaway opponents ahead of this fixture.
#2
Ten of City’s 15 victories in this astonishing run have come in the Premier League, and with their title rivals faltering while they continue to go from strength to strength in the top flight, the Etihad faithful could be forgiven for planning ahead for a socially-distanced trophy parade.
#3
Even with Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne – arguably their two most influential players – currently battling to overcome coronavirus and a hamstring problem respectively, City’s remarkable squad depth has come to the fore this term.
#4
On paper, Tottenham would be blown out of the water by Guardiola’s merciless team, but the Man City treatment room welcomed a couple more crucial players in midweek, and Mourinho is one of a select few managers who knows how to get the better of his adversary.
#5
This battle represents the 163rd meeting between the two sides in all competitions, and incredibly, Man City and Tottenham are both locked on 63 wins each, with the other 36 matches ending all square. As mentioned, Mourinho earned the bragging rights earlier in the season with a 2-0 triumph in the capital. However, the visitors have only come out on top in one of their last 11 trips to the Etihad Stadium in all competitions, and their most recent clean sheet on Man City’s turf was back in the 2009-10 campaign.
