Match Preview: Manchester City vs Spurs. My prediction, team news, lineup, thoughts etc.

Match Preview: Manchester City vs Spurs. My prediction, team news, lineup, thoughts etc.

Both clubs have suffered defeats the weekend just gone. Both were in local derbies; City were beaten by United, while we were destroyed (well, it felt like it) by the North London hijackers, the Gooners.

Both clubs hope to bounce straight back, but there can be only one winner (unless it ends in a draw, but that won't help either club).

City suffered a 2-1 loss to Manchester United, while we were beaten 2-0 by our North London rivals.

Match preview

City…

Pep Guardiola felt hard done by at Old Trafford, where Man United came back from a goal behind to close the gap on their neighbours.

Grealish headed home to put them in the lead. Still, after Marcus Rashford was controversially deemed not to have been interfering with play from an offside position, Bruno Fernandes swept home before Rashford completed the City destruction.

Even though City have had back-to-back defeats (also going out of their prized EFL Cup at the hands of Southampton last week), Man City remain second in the table but are now eight points adrift of the Gooners on the same number of games. Man United and Newcastle United are now only one point behind City, who could drop to third if the Red Devils overcome Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

City have also failed to beat Brentford and Everton in their last two at the Etihad, having won 11 top-flight games in a row on home soil beforehand,  but only once has Pepe ever gone three home games without a league win as a manager, which was all the way back in December 2016.

Spurs…

According to Conte, only Man City and the Gooners can now compete for the title, who had no complaints after witnessing his players suffer a deserved defeat on Sunday evening.

Securing just three victories from our last nine Premier League games is hardly form befitting that of a top-four team. Still, in a reversal, we have struck nine goals in our previous three Premier League away matches.

We mustn't forget that we managed to do the double over the champions last season; 3-2 at the Etihad - making it four wins from our previous five Premier League games against Man City.

Manchester City Premier League form:

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Manchester City form (all competitions):

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Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

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Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

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Our Team News

Dejan Kulusevski returned to the first XI in the North London derby, carrying the fight to the Gunners in the second half.

Rodrigo Bentancur (groin) was not risked on Sunday, but he should be in with a chance for the City game. Lucas Moura (tendon) remains out.

Head-to-Head

1.   Harry Kane is also one away from equalling Jimmy Greaves's record of 266 for the club.

2.   Manchester City have lost four of their last five Premier League games against us.

3.   We won home and away against Manchester City in the Premier League last season. We could become the first-ever team to win three consecutive league games against a side managed by Pep Guardiola.

4.   Guardiola has lost three of his five meetings with Antonio Conte in all competitions.

5.   Three of Harry Kane's four goals against Manchester City in the Premier League have been at the Etihad Stadium, including a brace in Spurs' 3-2 win last season.

My possible starting lineup:

Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Doherty, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son

Prediction: 1-3, with Kane getting two.

We have undoubtedly enjoyed the better of this fixture recently, and there is no reason why we can't do it again this time around; providing the right-minded team turn up. If we don't turn up, it will be another defeat for us; if that is the case, then I can see us losing by the same score (3-1), with Kane still getting his goal to equal Greaves's record.

At the top, there are three currently inform teams: the Gooners, Newcastle and Man United (above us). With Fulham and Brighton sniffing at our coattails. And we mustn't forget the Scousers and Yankee-Chelski, who are always menacing. The rest can all piss in the corner (fodder for the Premier League, but a threat nevertheless for all challenging teams).

If we win and both United's (Newcastle & Manchester) win, then they will go above City. If Fulham and Brighton win and we lose, then they will go above us.

The transfer window has only a couple of weeks to go; I hope we purchase a few players before the deadline to help us get back on track.

COYS!

Glenn