Manchester City vs Tottenham | Predictions, Stats and Key Players | OneFootball

Premier League Showdown: Manchester City vs Tottenham

Spurs’ Challenge Amidst Adversity

The headline match of the Premier League weekend comes on Sunday as Tottenham travel to face Manchester City. A few weeks ago, this would have been an opportunity for the visitors to land a blow on the champions, but a spate of injuries and suspensions have caused Angle Postecoglou’s men to lose their last three matches. Although it has been disappointing, it may allow expectations to rest. Despite this poor form, this is still going to be a very tough game for Pep Guardiola, as Spurs will be positive.

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Manchester City’s Recent Struggles

The last week has shown some vulnerability in the City side, as they conceded a late equaliser against Liverpool before falling two goals behind against RB Leipzig. They managed to fight back to win in the Champions League, but City are not at their relentless best at the moment. The champions are currently trailing Arsenal in the league table and will not want to fall off the pace by dropping more points this weekend.

Tottenham’s Shift in Focus

A few weeks ago, Tottenham were being spoken about as if a top four finish was guaranteed and a title challenge was mooted as a possibility. Now, it looks like a top four finish will be the aim and they could drop further in the table this weekend if the Newcastle United and Manchester United match doesn’t end in a draw. Postecoglou is the perfect coach to manage this period and he won’t move away from his principles. They will look to win on Sunday and that could be the best way to get a result.

Head-to-Head Statistics

Manchester City have only lost two of their last 13 Premier League home matches against Tottenham. Despite a generally poor record away to Manchester City, Tottenham have won five of the last seven meetings in this competition.

The Haaland Factor

It can be boring to speak up the importance of Erling Haaland, but this weekend feels like the perfect fixture for him. Tottenham have defensive injuries to cope with and they will be positive in their approach. This means that there will be space for Erling Haaland to run into and he will get chances. If he is on form, he could get a few goals this weekend. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get another hat-trick if Tottenham are as aggressive as many believe they will be. Haaland is currently the top scorer of the Premier League with 14 goals. He is averaging one every 79.7 minutes, which is a remarkable strike rate. For context, he averaged a goal every 77.2 minutes in his record breaking debut season. Although there is a slight drop, the consistency over both seasons is remarkable. If Ben Davies does start at centre-back, the striker will be relishing that battle.

Son Heung-min’s Threat to City

There are few attackers that enjoy playing Manchester City. Chances can be few and far between, which makes it difficult to get into the game. Son Heung-min has had a lot of success in this fixture, with important goals in the Premier League and Champions League. He will have confidence that he can score again this weekend, especially after starting the season in such good form. The South Korean had a disappointing 2022/23 season, but he has bounced back to form following the sale of Harry Kane. With seven goals against City in the past, he will be the Tottenham player that causes the most worry for Guardiola.

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Team Updates and Availability

Team news Mateo Kovacic is nearing a return to action and has a chance for this weekend. Matheus Nunes is not available to play. Kevin de Bruyne won’t be back until the new year. Pape Sarr is a doubt for this weekend, but Yves Bissouma will be back from suspension. Cristian Romero serves the final match of his suspension this weekend. Richarlison won’t be available until later in the month, while Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ryan Sessegnon won’t be back from injury until 2024.

Match Prediction

This is going to be an entertaining match to watch. Despite Tottenham’s injuries, they will be able to cause problems for Manchester City. Son Heung-min has done well in his fixture since moving to England and could be on the score sheet again. It would be a surprise if there aren’t goals at both ends, but the home side should have too much at home. Manchester City 4-2 Tottenham