A week after demolishing defending champions Liverpool at Anfield, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will turn their attention to Spurs and Jose Mourinho as the two sides lock horns at the Etihad this weekend.
Before City’s fantastic 4-1 triumph at Anfield. Guardiola had never won a game against Jurgen Klopp as manager. It was not only the Spaniard’s first win, but also Klopp’s heaviest league defeat as manager at home, and opened a ten-point gap between the two sides, with City still having a game in hand over the holders.
The Citizens could even afford the luxury of a penalty miss from the normally reliable Ilkay Gundogan, who blazed his effort over late in the first half. The German medio however made up for it with two goals after the interval and Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden also chipped in as the Reds crumbled at home. Even the unflappable Alisson made a number of uncharacteristic errors and with the form that City are in, it effectively handed the win to them on a platter.
Spurs, like Liverpool, have been struggling for results over the last few weeks, but the return of Harry Kane brought them some much needed relief as the England forward and partner Heung-Min Son both found the back of the net in a 2-0 win over West Brom in the last round of fixtures. It brought an end to a three-game losing streak for the Lilywhites, and they’re now eighth in the table going into this round of fixtures.
City’s incredible form- they’ve now won a record fifteen in a row domestically, makes them strong favourites according to the pre-game odds from sportsbetting24.ca/betting-sites/. Expect Mourinho to park the bus, and rely on the counter attacking skills of Kane and Son- it’s a strategy that’s served him fairly well this season. Spurs actually beat City 2-0 when the two sides met in the reverse fixture back in November.
xG from City Spurs in November 2020 (which Spurs won)
Both sides were involved in Cup action in midweek. City comfortably saw off Championship opposition in the form of Swansea, beating the Welsh outfit 3-1 thanks to goals from Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus.
Spurs on the other hand suffered Cup heartbreak as they went down 5-4 in a goalfest at Goodison Park. Despite the Toffees missing the likes of James Rodriguez and Andre Gomes, they still emerged winners, with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison playing key roles, with the Icelandic international having a goal and three assists to his name.
Mourinho would have been particularly concerned over the state of his defence- they let in three in the space of just 7 first half minutes, and it was the first time in nearly six years that a side coached by him had let in five or more goals.
H2H- last five games
Spurs 2-0 Man City
Spurs 2-0 Man City
Man City 2-2 Spurs
Man City 1-0 Spurs
Man City 4-3 Spurs
Referee watch: Paul Tierney has been appointed as the man with the whistle for this clash.