Tottenham's recent comeback victory against Burnley, securing their place in the Premier League for the next season, has ignited a sense of optimism among fans. Despite initially trailing, they rallied back with goals from Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, narrowing the gap to fourth place and keeping their Champions League aspirations alive, at least until Liverpool's match against Aston Villa.
However, Tottenham's habit of conceding early goals poses a concern as they face Manchester City, who are on a seven-game winning streak and just surpassed Arsenal to take the league's top spot. City's recent victory over Fulham showcased their attacking prowess, with Josko Gvardiol leading the charge.
The stakes are high for both teams, with Manchester City aiming to secure their title destiny and Tottenham looking to make history by preventing City from achieving an eighth consecutive league win by a margin of at least two goals.
Despite City's dominance in recent matchups, Tottenham's supporters are hopeful that their team can maintain their undefeated record against City at their new stadium, even if it means thwarting their rivals' championship celebrations.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Tottenham fans were surprised to see Richarlison left out of Brazil's squad for the 2024 Copa America due to a calf injury, as confirmed by national team coach Dorival Junior and later affirmed by Postecoglou. Unfortunately, it seems this setback will also sideline him for Spurs' remaining Premier League fixtures, adding his name to the growing list of unavailable players, including Timo Werner, Ben Davies, Manor Solomon, Ryan Sessegnon, Fraser Forster, and Destiny Udogie.In the wake of some disappointing performances by Emerson Royal, Postecoglou tested Oliver Skipp at left-back against Burnley. However, considering Skipp's limited playing time and the tight schedule, Emerson may reclaim his spot. Postecoglou is hesitant to deploy Van de Ven on the flank due to his previous injury concerns.
Meanwhile, Nathan Ake's early exit from the match at Craven Cottage due to an unspecified injury raised concerns for Manchester City. While the severity of his condition remains unclear, Guardiola hopes he'll be the only absentee. On a brighter note, Jack Grealish is expected to recover from his recent illness.
Guardiola has contingency plans in place, with Kyle Walker available to fill in and options to reshuffle the defense if necessary. He may also exploit Tottenham's defensive vulnerabilities by reintroducing Jeremy Doku to the lineup.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Emerson; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden
EXPERT PREDICTION
Tottenham 1-3 Manchester City
It's almost a given that both teams will score when Tottenham plays at home in the Premier League. However, lately, their struggles to tighten up their defense suggest we might see even more action around the Tottenham goal.
With ongoing issues at left-back and a clean sheet eluding them at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since October, it's likely Spurs will finally surrender their unbeaten home record to the champions. But for those who aren't fans of Arsenal, it's not something they'll lose much sleep over.
