Rodrigo starts against Spurs, with Aguero and Dias on bench

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Manchester City F.C.

·13 February 2021

Rodrigo starts against Spurs, with Aguero and Dias on bench

Rodrigo starts for Manchester City against Tottenham Hotspur this evening and Ruben Dias and Sergio Aguero are among the substitutes for the Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola has made five changes to the side that kicked-off against Swansea City in midweek, with Ederson, Joao Cancelo, John Stones, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Phil Foden restored to the starting XI.

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They replace, Zack Steffen, Kyle Walker, Eric Garcia, Benjamin Mendy and Ferran Torres, all of whom are amongst the substitutes.

The availability of Rodrigo and Dias is a welcome boost for Guardiola after the Spaniard limped off against Swansea, a game Dias missed due to illness, whilst Sergio Aguero’s inclusion in the squad after an 11-game absence is further cause for celebration, with the Club’s record goalscorer’s return bolstering our attacking options.

Teams

CITY: Ederson, Cancelo, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko, Rodrigo, Gundogan, Bernardo, Foden, Sterling (C), Jesus.

SUBS: Steffen, Walker, Dias, Aguero, Torres, Mendy, Mahrez, Garcia, Doyle.

SPURS: Lloris (C), Tanganga, Sanchez, Dier, Davies, Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Lamela, Lucas, Son, Kane.

SUBS: Hart, Alderweireld, Doherty, Winks, Sissoko, Dele, Bale, Bergwijn, Vinicius.

WATCH: Phil Foden: From mascot to marvel!

Formation and squad notes

With Jesus retained, it looks like City will adopt the 4-3-3- formation which Guardiola has favoured during his tenure.

Cancelo and Zinchenko should continue to add extra bodies in midfield as they have done in recent weeks, with the in form Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva providing support in attack ahead of Rodrigo.

Jesus’ inclusion means there are no questions marks on how the front three will line up, with Raheem Sterling and Foden flanking the centre-forward on either wing.

WATCH: Match highlights: City 3-0 United

Stats and facts

City have won seven of the past 10 league meetings at the Etihad Stadium, only losing in February 2016, but Spurs have won both of their home league encounters since Jose Mourinho has been in charge.
We are on a 15-match winning run in all competitions, a record for an English top-flight side, and are unbeaten in 22 since the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham in November.
We have only conceded three goals in our past 14 league games.
We can equal the Club record of seven successive home clean sheets in all competitions, which was set between December 1946 to March 1947.
Pep Guardiola could lose three consecutive top-flight fixtures against the same team for the first time as a manager.
He and Jose Mourinho have faced each other in 24 games, with Guardiola leading by 10 wins to seven.
Ilkay Gundogan is the Premier League's leading scorer in 2021 with seven goals in eight appearances. His previous seven league goals came over a period of 62 games.
Spurs have won just one of their past six top-flight away fixtures (D3, L2). They could lose consecutive away league games for the first time since October 2019.
They are vying to beat both Manchester clubs away in the same top-flight season for the first time since 1959-60. The last side to do so was Liverpool in 2008-09.
Son Heung-min has scored six goals in his past eight appearances against us in all competitions.
Harry Kane averages a Premier League goal every 428 minutes versus City, his worst record against any of the 30 teams he has faced in the division. The striker has scored twice in 10 appearances in this fixture, but none in the last six.