Boasting headline status amid an otherwise underwhelming weekend of Premier League football is Manchester City’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur – which is our Fixture in Focus here at Football FanCast.
With both sides a firm part of the five-club pack looking to chase down Chelsea before the end of May, Saturday’s 5.30pm kickoff could have a monumental impact on final standings come the close of the campaign – potentially deciding who does finish in the top four and who doesn’t.
Combine that with a fantastic match in the reverse fixture earlier this season, which saw the most ferocious of high pressing lead to a 2-0 Spurs win at White Hart Lane, and Saturday’s instalment is shaping up to be another fine contest between the two sides.
But how will they line up this time? Will injuries and suspensions force unwelcome changes? Where will the match be lost and won and who are the bookies backing? We’ll answer those questions, and many more, in Football FanCast’s all-in-one preview pack…
Favourites, form and prior encounters
21/20 City win – 5/2 Spurs win
5/2 Draw
Despite entering this fixture on the back of a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Everton, the bookies are backing Manchester City to come away with all three points on Saturday. In fairness, City have been particularly strong at home this season, losing just once and winning six of ten, whilst Spurs rank a decent if somewhat unspectacular sixth on the road in the Premier League. Likewise, although Spurs claimed a famous victory at the Etihad Stadium last season, that was their first away win over the Citizens since 2010.
Nonetheless, there’s no question who enters this fixture in better form. Whilst the Citizens have lost four of their last ten, Spurs have won nine of their last ten – picking up seven victories on the bounce in the process. Furthermore, their 2-0 win at White Hart Lane earlier this season was an absolute masterclass in the high-press and considering Pep Guardiola’s commitment to his own philosophy, identical approaches from both managers will surely bring a similar result.
Skybet odds
Injuries and suspensions
Barring the long-term absences of Ilkay Gundogan (out for the season) and Vincent Kompany (who knows these days), City boast a relatively clean bill of health going into Saturday. Even their other sidelined star, Fernando, could return to the action to anchor the midfield, which could prove to be perfect timing considering how exposed City have been at the back in recent weeks – especially with Fernandinho still serving the three-match suspension he picked up for a red card versus Burnley.
Spurs, meanwhile, face a more significant blow in the form of Jan Vertonghen, who had the look of a man knowing he’d be out for a long time when he was forced off against West Brom last weekend. The Belgium international may be the somewhat quieter partner to Toby Alderweireld but he’s a consistent influence at the back and was instrumental in the three-man defensive line that has inspired some huge Spurs wins in recent weeks, most notably over Chelsea. That leaves Pochettino with a tough decision to make in regards to how he sets up at the Etihad, which brings us onto…
Courtesy of Physioroom.
Likely Starting XIs
http://lineupbuilder.com/350×500/?p=11&a=1&t=&c=00a8db&1=GK_Bravo__388_174&2=DL_Clichy__317_64&3=DCL_Stones__327_138&4=DCR_Otamendi__327_211&5=DR_Sagna__317_284&6=ML_Sterling__190_56&7=MC_Fernando__250_172&8=MC_Toure__192_215&9=MR_De%20Bruyne__188_292&10=FC_Aguero__82_174&11=MC_Silva__190_131&c2=ffffff&c3=ffffff&output=embed
Predicting a Guardiola XI, especially after the heftiest league defeat of his managerial career, feels like a particularly fruitless task. But the Citizens boss has stuck with a back four pretty consistently in recent months and he’s hardly in a position to move a body further upfield, so we expect him to keep the structure of the defence intact. Meanwhile, Fernando could come in to anchor the midfield, allowing David Silva and Yaya Toure more free roles in front of him, whilst the wings and the sole striker spot are occupied by the usual suspects.
http://lineupbuilder.com/350×500/?p=11&a=1&t=&c=031c59&1=GK_Lloris__388_174&2=DCLL_Davies__317_114&3=DC_Alderweireld__327_174&4=DCRR_Dier__317_235&5=ML_Rose__242_52&6=MC_Dembele__213_147&7=MC_Wanyama__213_204&8=MR_Walker__245_290&9=AC_Alli__141_127&10=AC_Eriksen__142_217&11=FCA_Kane__80_174&c2=b8af04&c3=fcfcfc&output=embed
Once again, a bit of guesswork is inevitable considering the impact Vertonghen’s injury could have on Pochettino’s team selection. Reverting to a back four simply can’t be ruled out, but we have a hunch the Argentine will look to keep changes to a minimum for arguably Spurs’ biggest away test of the season and therefore stick with the 3-4-3 system that has proved so effective in recent weeks. Ben Davies comes in for Vertonghen to fill a role he excelled in for Wales at Euro 2016, whilst the rest of the personnel are unchanged from that 4-0 win over West Brom.
The Key Battle – Stones vs Kane
Centre-back vs striker may seem a little simplistic but it’s always fascinating to watch two England internationals go toe-to-toe over the course of 90 minutes. Likewise, Harry Kane is arguably the Premier League’s best when it comes to closing down opposition centre-backs and as we’re all painfully aware, John Stones’ undying determination to play out of the back whenever possible has a knack of creating far more problems than it solves for City’s backline. And whilst Stones has endured a week of abuse from Everton fans and critics alike, Kane enters Saturday’s game off the back of a superb hat-trick against the Baggies – suggesting he’s perfectly tuned to take advantage of any Stones slip-ups in the City third.
Word from the managers
Pep Guardiola on the 2-0 defeat at the Lane…
“At White Hart Lane Tottenham were much better. In the other games I don’t feel that feeling that the opponents were much better. In football, like in basketball, like in tennis, you have to put the ball inside the net. In the balance of how you create, how you concede, they punish us.”
Mauricio Pochettino on Guardiola…
“For me (Guardiola) is one of the best managers in the world. It’s normal in English football over the last few years that the level has increased a lot and it’s always difficult to arrive in a new club, change the philosophy and set out your principles.
“But he’s doing well. We are in the top six, very close and in a similar situation. I’m sure he will succeed because he is a great manager.”
