HP Terbaru 2023 – Manchester City visit Tottenham Hotspur in a must-win situation

---

By Neel Shelat

---

Both sides’ crucial midweek successes

Fixture congestion is a huge concern for top teams around Europe in this period of the season. Both of these teams have been kept quite busy lately as this will be their fifth match in 15 days. With that in mind, it should be easy to understand why their top eight finishes in the UEFA Champions League could prove crucial going forward.

Manchester City will be particularly glad to have snuck into eighth place as it leaves them with an open midweek on either side of a tough league match against Newcastle United. Moreover, Tottenham Hotspur’s direct progression to the Round of 16 could also benefit them as Spurs face Arsenal on the same weekend. If City are to profit at all, though, they will first have to ensure they pick up all possible points in the intervening period.

Spurs remain Pep Guardiola’s bogey team

Among opponents that Manchester City have faced more than thrice under Pep Guardiola, they only have a lower win percentage against Liverpool and Real Madrid than Tottenham Hotspur. In fact, in the Premier League, no other side has a better record than Spurs’ 8-3-8.

The North London club have won three of the last four meetings between these sides, including the reverse fixture on the second matchday of this season. Of course, much has changed for Thomas Frank since the end of August, but his side have every chance of coming away with a result in this match.

Team news

Both teams will have to contend with pretty long injury lists. Spurs have seen Micky van de Ven, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall and Ben Davies all suffer issues in January, joining James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski on the treatment table.

City have been missing centre-backs Joško Gvardiol, Rúben Dias and John Stones amidst a defensive injury crisis, with Mateo Kovačić also out for a good while. Up front, Savinho and Oscar Bobb have not featured for a month or so, while Jérémy Doku went off with a calf issue in the last match against Galatasaray.

Key players

Erling Haaland ended a five-match goal drought and scored his first open-play goal in 10 appearances in midweek. He already has 30 goals this season despite that dry patch, and will be raring to resume his battle against Cristian Romero.

At the other end, Marc Guéhi will have a key role to play in just his second league start for Manchester City, as the returning Dominic Solanke will fancy his chances against a weakened back line. Rodri could play a big part in helping his defenders out, while Conor Gallagher will look to disrupt the Spaniard’s game.

Prediction

These two teams have not played out a goalless draw in their last 36 meetings, so a dramatic match is to be expected. In the end, City might just have enough to eke out a victory.

---

(Cover image from IMAGO)

---

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.