Manchester City - Tottenham prediction
Champions Manchester City host Tottenham in a postponed match from the English Premier League schedule.
This match is a very convenient opportunity for Guardiola's selection to close the gap on Arsenal.
Which is currently exactly 8 points with the same number of matches played by both teams.
The Catalan coach of the Citizens himself admitted after the loss to Man United that they can no longer become champions .
Another question is whether this is a psychological trick against his competitors.
Because the old fox Pep is unlikely to give up his hopes for England's 3rd title in a row just like that.
Especially considering that there are still many games left until the end of the season, including two meetings with Arsenal.
But it is a fact that recently Citizens are in crisis .
They have lost 2 in a row in all competitions.
And in the Premier League, they won only one point in their last two home games.
Whereas before that they were flawless - 7 wins in 7 games at the Etihad.
So today's match appears to be a chance for Tottenham to pull off a surprise (or not so much) win.
And so to get as close as possible to the top 4.
Spurs are buoyed by the two wins against Man City they did last season.
Including 3-2 away in a breathtaking thriller.
As Tottenham have actually won 4 of their last 5 Premier League clashes with the Citizens.
So I think it's worth looking for sensationalism here.
Prediction: 1
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Manchester City - statistics and info
Man City will be determined to get back on track after suffering a double blow last week.
The Citizens were dumped out of the League Cup at Southampton.
And then they fell 8 points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table after a 1-2 Manchester derby defeat .
Jack Grealish headed in to open the scoring at Old Trafford.
But United equalized through a controversial Bruno Fernandes strike after Marcus Rashford appeared to be offside.
Rashford scored the winner himself soon after to put a damper on City's hopes of a hat-trick of titles.
The Citizens were beaten at home by Brentford before the World Cup break.
And they only drew with Everton at the Etihad Stadium on New Year's Eve.
Erling Haaland went three games without a goal.
Which is hardly a drought, but still surprising for a player who had 27 in his first 21 games.
Pep Guardiola has admitted he is still working to fully integrate his £51m summer signing.
"When teams are sitting in their penalty areas it's more difficult, but we have to look for it a bit more, yes," said the Spaniard.
However, Spurs are not a team that is used to packing their defense and trying to press the opponents.
So this could be Haaland's chance to shine again.
Tottenham Hotspur - statistics and info
Tottenham did the double over Man City last season , including a thrilling 3-2 triumph at the venue.
And in the last three seasons in the Premier League won 4 wins and a draw from 6 matches (4-1-1).
But in their current form, Spurs aren't quite convincing enough to further improve that strong record.
Since the World Cup break, they have won just one of four Premier League games.
And they are six points behind Manchester City , having played a game more after losing 2-0 at home to Arsenal.
Hugo Lloris turned Bukayo Saka's deflected cross into his own net.
And Martin Odegaard shot from long range past the goalkeeper to confirm the Gunners' superiority.
Thomas Partey also hit the post for the Gunners, with Spurs unable to respond at the other end of the pitch.
To be fair, Son Heung-min, Harry Kane, Ryan Sessegnon and Richarlison also tested Ramsdale but to no avail.
Antonio Conte's side have not led at half-time since October 12 and have conceded the first goal in 11 of their last 14 games .
Dejan Kulushevski said on this occasion:
"It's very difficult for everyone, but if we don't start the games better, we won't win."
“So we have to stop doing that. We are trying. No one wants to be the first to give in.”
"Finding a solution is a little more difficult."
Harry Kane needs just 2 more goals to reach 200 in the Premier League.
As he is also within a shot of equaling Jimmy Greaves' long-standing record of 266 goals for the club.
Squads and injured footballers
Manchester City
Lineup: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodry, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Grealish
Injured: Diaz, Stones
Tottenham
Lineup: Loris; Romero, Dyer, Davies; Doherty, Hoiberg, Bentancourt, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Injured: Moura
Matches between Man City and Tottenham
| League | Date | Match |
|---|---|---|
| VL | 19/02/22 | Man City 2:3 Tottenham |
| VL | 15/08/21 | Tottenham 1:0 Man City |
| KL | 25/04/21 | Man City 1:0 Tottenham |
| VL | 13/02/21 | Man City 3:0 Tottenham |
| VL | 21/11/20 | Tottenham 2:0 Man City |
| VL | 02/02/20 | Tottenham 2:0 Man City |
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