Manchester City will be aiming to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they take on Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium.
Footballing action continues to come at a relentless pace as Matchday 26 of the Premier League kicks off on Saturday. Reigning champions and current leaders Manchester City will take the field at the Etihad as they play hosts to a misfiring Tottenham Hotspur side.
After a rather slow start, Manchester City have been near-unstoppable in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s men have not lost a single league game since late October, winning 14 of their 15 fixtures since, opening up a nine-point lead at the top. The Cityzens thrashed Norwich City 4-0 in the Premier League and then hammered Sporting CP 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week and will look to carry forward the momentum.
Tottenham have hit a rough patch after a solid start to life under manager Antonio Conte. The Italian tactician seemed to have turned the Lilywhites into genuine top-four contenders, but they have lost their last three league games to Chelsea, Southampton and more recently, Wolves. The north London outfit are eighth in the table, six points shy of fourth-placed Manchester United, but they have three games in hand to make up ground.
The reverse fixture saw Tottenham pull off a shock 1-0 win over Manchester City, but such an outcome looks improbable heading into Saturday’s clash.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon! ??#ManCity pic.twitter.com/a4oFLiAvzm
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 18, 2022
Manchester City will again be without club-record signing Jack Grealish, who is out with a shin injury. Apart from the England international, Gabriel Jesus and Cole Palmer also miss out, while backup goalkeeper Zack Steffen is also an injury doubt. Kyle Walker is available for selection after missing the midweek game due to suspension.
The England international should walk back into the lineup, slotting in at right-back with Joao Cancelo lining up on the opposite flank. Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte are certain starters at the heart of the Manchester City defence, while there is no looking past Ederson Moraes between the sticks.
Rodri will occupy the holding midfield role and look to help the hosts control the proceedings by recovering and recycling possession in an efficient manner. The creative essence will come from the duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, with the latter in supreme form.
Top goalscorer Riyad Mahrez will occupy the right flank and look to cause problems to Ben Davies, while Raheem Sterling will pose a major threat from the opposite wing. Phil Foden is expected to start in the ‘false-nine’ role for the Premier League leaders.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Mahrez, Foden, Sterling
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a double injury boost ahead of their trip north to Manchester as Eric Dier and Steven Bergwijn are back and available for selection. However, Antonio Conte will have to make do without academy products Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga. Sergio Reguilon was absent from training amid claims of a player testing positive for coronavirus.
? An injury update ahead of tomorrow's game ⤵️
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 18, 2022
The Italian manager will set his team up in a 3-4-3 formation. The visitors will primarily look to sit deep and absorb the pressure while trying to catch Manchester City out on the break. Captain Hugo Lloris is a guaranteed starter between the sticks on Saturday evening. The returning Dier should walk right back into the starting XI, slotting in at the heart of the three-man defence, flanked by Cristian Romero and Ben Davies.
Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon are automatic picks in the wing-back roles on the right and left sides respectively if Reguilon is unavailable. They will be key to providing width for Tottenham when they hit their hosts on the break.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will be tasked with curbing the influence of Kevin De Bruyne, with January signing Rodrigo Bentancur expected to partner him in midfield.
Moving forward, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min, who scored in the reverse fixture, are certain to feature out wide. They will look to cause problems to the Manchester City defence with their movement and link-up play with the main striker, Harry Kane.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Lucas, Kane, Son
Key Stats
- This will be the fifth meeting between Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Tottenham manager Antonio Conte in all competitions. In 2016/17, Conte became the first manager to achieve a league double over the City head coach, while Guardiola won both meetings with the Italian in 2017/18.
- Since losing 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace in October, Manchester City have earned 43 points from 45 available in the Premier League (W14 D1 L0).
- Tottenham have lost each of their last three Premier League games, conceding more goals in these matches (7) than they did in their first nine under Antonio Conte (6).
- Riyad Mahrez has scored nine goals in his last nine appearances for Manchester City.
- Tottenham superstar Son Heung-min has scored six goals in his eight most recent appearances against Manchester City in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Pep Guardiola on Harry Kane deal collapsed last summer: “We tried to sign a striker – but it was far away from being done because Tottenham were clear it was not going to happen”. ??????? #MCFC
Harry Kane will decide on his contract situation in the coming months, not now. #THFC pic.twitter.com/4PrPkv3Qqy
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 18, 2022
This will be the first time that Harry Kane will come face-to-face with his summer suitors Manchester City. The Premier League champions tried hard to sign the England international during the summer window last year, with the England captain himself being keen on the move. However, Tottenham held firm and kept hold of their star man, with City ending the window without bringing in a new striker.
After the move fell through, Kane went through a rough patch and struggled for form for a while, but seems to have found his mojo back. He has racked up a tally of 15 goals from 33 matches in all competitions, although only five of those have come in the league. The 28-year-old had missed the reverse fixture against City earlier in the season, and on Saturday, he will hope to put in a strong performance that helps his team get back on track.
Prediction
Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham
Tottenham may have beaten Manchester City the last time these two teams squared off, but things are much different heading into Saturday’s encounter. The Lilywhites have lost three games on the bounce and were woeful in the defeat to Wolves last time out. The Cityzens, meanwhile, are coasting to another league title triumph, having won 14 of their last 15 games in the competition (D1).
The return of Eric Dier should help Tottenham tighten things up at the back to some extent. But considering the form that Manchester City are in, it is unlikely that the north Londoners will be able to stop them. The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow win for Pep Guardiola’s men.
