Manchester City will be looking to increase their lead at the top of the table in the English Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. They will look for all three points to cement their position in the top and give pressure to the second-placed Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola’s side are nine points ahead of second-placed Liverpool, but the Reds have a game in hand. So, City cannot think of losing against Spurs.
On the other hand, Tottenham Hotspur needs a win to keep their hopes of finishing in the top four this season. They had a few games in their hand, but consecutive losses was a major blow to their fight for the top four. Currently, Tottenham are in eighth position, seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Tottenham will be looking to do what they did on the opening match of this season when they beat the Citizens for one goal. But since then, no team was able to catch, and now they are far away from Tottenham in performance and point table.
Since the end of October, Man City has been unbeaten in the league, winning 14 of their last 15 matches. Their home record is also excellent this season, picking up 31 points from 12 games, recording victories in 10 of their 12 games at the Etihad Stadium.
Tottenham are looking to avoid losing four successive Premier League games for the first time since a run of six defeats between October and November 2004. The away side has won three of their last four Premier League matches against Man City. So, they will be hoping to inspire from their recent record and grab all three points from Ethihad on Saturday.
Team News
Manchester City
Kyle Walker will be probably back in the XI after sitting out against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League due to a suspension.
Gabriel Jesus, Cole Palmer and Jack Grealish will be out for the game due to the recent injury problems. Pep Guardiola is hopeful that the former Aston Villa man will be available soon. So, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez will be the leading players in the attack.
Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte is relieved to hear the news of Eric Dier’s return. He was sidelined in the last three games through a knock. Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are definitely out for the game due to injuries.
Son Heung-min will be the key player for Conte as he has scored six goals in his eight most recent appearances against Manchester City in all competitions.
Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur: Possible line-ups
Manchester City(4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne; Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling.
Tottenham Hotspur(3-5-2): Hugo Lloris; Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Ben Davies; Emerson Royal, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Rodrigo Bentancur, Sergio Reguilon; Harry Kane, Son Heung-min.
Kick-off: Saturday 19 February, 17:30 (GMT)
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Referee: Anthony Taylor
