Next Saturday, February 13, they will face off in a titanic Premier League duel, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at 6:30 p.m. at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. It is a game of contrasts, as Guardiola’s City comes from a historic streak, while Mourinho’s Tottenham has been characterized by its irregularity in the last two months. This match can mentally strengthen Manchester City or change the dynamics of some Spurs that fail to consolidate at the top of the table.
BACKGROUND
SEASON 2018/19
- Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City (29.Oct.18)
- Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham (20.Apr.19)
SEASON 2019/20
- Manchester City 2-2 Tottenham (17.Aug.19)
- Tottenham 2-0 Manchester City (02.Feb.20)
SEASON 2020/21
- Tottenham 2-0 Manchester City (21.Nov.20)
How do both teams arrive?
Both teams will meet in a duel of necessities prior to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Tottenham has taken their morale in the last two seasons, as the ‘citizens’ have not known victory against Spurs since 2019 when they won by a goal to zero in the fiefdom of the ‘sky blues’. On the one hand, Manchester City have 15 wins in a row, absolute record of any English team and a streak of 22 consecutive games without knowing the defeatThe last one was precisely against Tottenham de Mou in London.
On the other hand, Tottenham Hotspur does not enjoy the same joys, as in the last five league games he has won only two. His position in the classification visualizes the difficulties that he fits little, but loses a lot. Is the second set of the Premier less thrashed, only behind the City, but it fails to take advantage of that defensive reliability. Despite this, the forward is not characterized by a lack of goal, as the North London team has two of the top five scorers in the competition: Harry Kane (13 goals) and Heung-Min Son (13 goals).
The match
The script of the match will be traced to the one of the last confrontations between both teams. Manchester City will come out with their usual 1-4-3-3 and through positional attack and possession They will seek to open the scoring first, because in the last duels they have had difficulties to come back against an iron team in defense. The overflow and the associative capacity of Sterling and Mahrez will be key to winning in their individual duels and generating advantages with the two against one, widely used by Guardiola’s teams. The ‘citizens‘ they will attack and defend with possession. Mobility in the attack line will be key to having options to disrupt the opponent’s defensive adjustments. In the absence of a creative and decisive player like Kevin De Bruyne, the ‘sky blues’ will look to Gundogan, the footballer who can provide that differential point from the core.
Tottenham Hotspur will seek from their usual 1-4-2-3-1 to defeat Pep’s team in counterattacks with world-class and fit players like Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane. On an offensive level, the Londoners will seek the unchecking of the wingers and the presence of Kane and Ndombélé to fix the centrals in these transitions and seek to break the defense with Lucas Moura and Son. The speed and the balls behind the local rear will be key to the aspirations of a team in low hours. On a defensive level, Tottenham will retreat by 30-40 meters and with very little space between lines so that Gundogan, Foden and Bernardo Silva cannot move easily and find their teammates from three quarters of a field.
The wings are a weakness when it comes to contrasting this idea of the game, as Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez stand out for their ability to dribble and overflow. The full backs of the Spurs will be Sege Aurier and Ben Davies, very physical footballers, but with little mobility, a weakness that the ‘citizens’ will exploit with the two against one so characteristic of this type of team.
Players to watch
- Heung-Min Son: The 28-year-old South Korean winger goes through one of his best moments on an individual level. The Tottenham forward has 13 goals and six assists so far as Premier, his ability to make a difference in a clash with little chance for Mou’s side they will be essential to bring a positive result to London. In his boots lie a large part of the possibilities that Tottenham will have at the Etihad Stadium.
- Ilkay Gundogan: The 30-year-old ‘citizen’ midfielder is having an excellent season at City, to such an extent that they make him one of the team’s offensive threats despite his demarcation. German of Turkish origin has scored nine goals in English competition that make him the top striker for Manchester City. The international with Germany will look for another performance of ‘man of the match‘to achieve the sky blues’ first victory against Tottenham in two years.
Press conference
- Pep Guardiola: «We lost because they were better in many more ways than we were that day. You see the quality of the players and the coach, and you know it is a tough team. morning (Saturday) we have to do better to beat them».
- Jose Mourinho: «There are moments in life when we forget some things … one of the things I don’t forget is when my father died, and you know how important he was to me, Guardiola called me, by the way today would be my dad’s 83rd birthday. And of course, when his mother died, I did the same.
Announcement
- Manchester City FC: not confirmed
- Tottenham Hotspur FC: not confirmed
Possible eleven
- Manchester City (1-4-3-3): Ederson, Cancelo, Stones, Laporte, Walker, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, Sterling, Mahrez, Jesus and Foden.
- Tottenham Hotspur (1-4-2-3-1): Lloris, Doherty, Dier, Alderweireld, Davies, Ndombele, Hojbjerg, Moura, Lamela, Son y Kane.
Referee: Paul Tierney
WHERE: Peter Bankes
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