Totteham Hotspur head to Manchester City in the Premier League, where they are in fine form and have declared their intent to dominate not only the league but also Europe.
After seeing City thrash Sporting 5-0 in Lisbon on Tuesday, Antonio Conte will be gearing up for a difficult task ahead.
Now that Pep Guardiola’s side has returned to domestic issues, the former Barcelona manager will be looking to make amends for losing to the north London club at the start of the season under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Conte will be anxious to avoid a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, having only just resurrected his team’s chances of finishing in the top four.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City
Manchester City will be without club-record signing Jack Grealish, who is currently sidelined with a shin injury. Gabriel Jesus and Cole Palmer, in addition to the England international, are injured, while backup goalkeeper Zack Steffen is also a concern. After missing the midweek game due to suspension, Kyle Walker is available for selection.
With Joao Cancelo lining up on the opposing wing, the England international should return to the starting lineup at right-back. At the core of Manchester City’s defense, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte are certain starters, while Ederson Moraes in goal is untouchable.
Rodri will play in the holding midfield position and will seek to assist the hosts in maintaining control of the game by efficiently recovering and recycling possession. Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva will provide the creative spark, with the latter in particularly good form.
Riyad Mahrez, the team’s leading scorer, will occupy the right flank and aim to cause issues for Ben Davies, while Raheem Sterling, on the other wing, will be a huge threat. For the Premier League leaders, Phil Foden is expected to start in the ‘false-nine’ position.
Tottenham Hotspur
Eric Dier and Steven Bergwijn have returned from injury and are available for selection for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of their trip north to Manchester. Antonio Conte, on the other hand, will be without academy products Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga. Sergio Reguilon was not at training due to reports that a player had tested positive for coronavirus.
The 3-4-3 configuration will be used by the Italian manager. The visitors’ main goal will be to sit deep and absorb pressure while attempting to catch Manchester City off guard.
Hugo Lloris, the captain, is a lock to start in goal on Saturday night. Dier should return to the starting lineup right away, slotting in in the center of a three-man defense flanked by Cristian Romero and Ben Davies.
If Reguilon is absent, Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon are the first and second choices at the wing-back positions on the right and left sides, respectively. When Tottenham attacks their opponents on the break, they will rely on them to provide width.
With January acquisition Rodrigo Bentancur slated to partner him in midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will be tasked with limiting Kevin De Bruyne’s influence.
Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min, who both scored in the reverse fixture, are expected to start out wide going forward. With their movement and link-up play with the main striker, Harry Kane, they will seek to cause issues for Manchester City’s defense.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
This will be the 166th encounter between the two teams, with Spurs winning 64 times, drawing 36 times, and losing 65 times.
DATE, KICK OFF TIME AND VENUE
Date: Saturday, February 19
Time: 12:30 pm ET, 5:30 pm UK
Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
Player to watch
Harry Kane is the player who needs to step up in a huge game.
The England team appears to have been revitalized under Antonio Conte, but the striker will want to stake a claim by scoring this weekend, either to show the fans that he has put the transfer rumors to rest or to demonstrate his abilities to possible new employers. Which side of the fence you’re on makes a difference.
Manchester City v Tottenham Prediction
Manchester City will beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0.
Tottenham may have defeated Manchester City the previous time these two sides met, but things are very different heading into Saturday’s match. The Lilywhites have dropped three games in a row and were dreadful against Wolves last time out.
Meanwhile, the Cityzens are on their way to another league crown, having won 14 of their past 15 games in the campaign (D1).
Eric Dier’s return could help Tottenham tighten up the defense to some extent. However, given Manchester City’s current form, the north Londoners are unlikely to be able to stop them. Pep Guardiola’s team is expected to win by a slim margin, according to The Hard Tackle.
