STAR FOOTBALL PREVIEW Sat: Manchester City v Tottenham

It’s been a tumultuous season so far for Manchester City, but they can begin to get things back on track with a vital victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium, writes writes WILLIAM KEDJANYI.

Incredibly, City return from the international break attempting to break a four-game losing streak – the first time that has happened to their manager Pep Guardiola, and the first time that City have lost that many in a row since 2006 and the days of Stuart Pearce. – and there’s no doubt the men in blue will be relieved to be in front of their own fans.

All four of their losses – including a 2-1 defeat in the EFL Cup to today’s rivals – have come away from home, and City supporters will be hoping a return to the Etihad can spark a revival of sorts. Man City will welcome this weekend’s return to the Etihad where they have not lost any of their last 52 matches across all competitions, boasting a 35-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League, with 13 points from a possible 15 available collected so far this season.

City – who will be boosted by the news that Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract extension at the club, whilst the home side’s options are boosted by a flood of players returning to training including John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes.

De Bruyne’s return to the lineup – assuming he starts – would be a huge boost to a side that are still creating as much as ever but struggling to find the net with anyone other than Erling Haaland on occasion, with the Norwegian scoring 12 of City’s 22 goals.

In defence, the return of Stones and Akanji should provide a better balance for the hosts too, who have kept only one clean sheet in their last ten Premier League matches.

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Manchester City v Tottenham
Premier League
Etihad Stadium, Manchester
17:30 Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League / Sky Sports Ultra HDR

LAST FIVE STATS

HEAD-TO-HEAD
FEB 2023 PREMIER LEAGUE Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City
DEC 2023 PREMIER LEAGUE Manchester City 3-3 Tottenham
JAN 2024 FA CUP Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City
MAY 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Tottenham 0-2 Manchester City
OCT 2024 LEAGUE CUP Tottenham 2-1 Manchester City

MANCHESTER CITY
NOV 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Brighton 2-1 Manchester City
NOV 2024 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Sporting 4-1 Manchester City
NOV 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Bournemouth 2-1 Manchester City
OCT 2024 LEAGUE CUP Tottenham 2-1 Manchester City
OCT 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Manchester City 1-0 Southampton

TOTTENHAM
NOV 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Tottenham 1-2 Ipswich
NOV 2024 EUROPA LEAGUE Galatasaray 3-2 Tottenham
NOV 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Tottenham 4-1 Aston Villa
OCT 2024 LEAGUE CUP Tottenham 2-1 Manchester City
OCT 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Crystal Palace 1-0 Tottenham

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Tottenham’s have taken a rollercoaster ride over the past few weeks, with their last six league games reading WLWLWL, including losses to Ipswich and Crystal Palace whilst they’ve also beaten Aston Villa, Manchester United and City in the EFL Cup.

There’s no doubt that at their best, Ange Postecoglou’s side can threaten – and beat- any side, but the same weaknesses that cost them at times last season remain and a lack of momentum (they’ve only won back-to-back Premier League games this season once this season) is hampering their aims.

A high-intensity attacking approach with the quality of players such as Hueng Min-Son, and Dejan Kulusevski to name two players can overwhelm sides but it has also left them vulnerable to second-half collapses and giving up high quality chances when turned over, two weaknesses which spell serious trouble against sides like Manchester City.

There’s also a worry about Spurs’ poor travel record – they’ve suffered seven losses in their last 11 Premier League away fixtures and they have won just three of their last 15 on the road, which is enough to put one off supporting them this afternoon.

Manchester City have gone through plenty of difficulty before the international break but returning to the Etihad ought to help their chances along with a number of key players coming back into the fray, and they have enough quality to get back to winning ways. It would be no surprise if this was a high scoring game, however – this is a meeting between two of the league’s three top scoring teams – and City look worth backing to win a high scoring encounter with starsports.bet.

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