Tottenham vs Manchester City Preview: Pep’s men NEED points against their bogeyteam!

As the Premier League edges closer to its final stretch, Manchester City faces one of its trickiest tests of the season – a trip to Tottenham Hotspur. Despite the historic success under Pep Guardiola’s stewardship, Spurs have proven to be a real bogey team for the reigning champions. The Lilywhites have already bested City in both the Premier League and EFL Cup this season, and they’ll be looking to extend that streak as they host the Citizens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening.

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Team News

Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to build on their recent form, but they are not without their injury concerns. Key players such as Radu Dragusin, Dominic Solanke, and Richarlison remain sidelined, while Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will miss out due to thigh injuries. Timo Werner’s return is a potential boost, though he’s still nursing a hamstring problem. James Maddison and Pedro Porro are expected to return to the starting XI, strengthening the squad that has already seen strong performances from Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min in recent matches.

Manchester City

For Manchester City, Erling Haaland’s knee injury remains a concern, with the big striker’s availability for the match still in question. The Citizens are also dealing with a series of other absentees, including Rodri, Oscar Bobb, and Manuel Akanji. With a three-day turnaround from their defeat to Liverpool, Guardiola will be hoping for a quick recovery from some of his stars, though the lack of Haaland in particular could hurt their attacking potency.

Key Players:

Spurs – Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski was instrumental the last time these two teams faced off, providing an assist and causing all sorts of problems for Manchester City in a commanding 4-0 victory for Spurs. The Swedish winger has arguably been Tottenham’s most consistent player this season, continuing to be a major creative force in Postecoglou’s attack. His ability to drift inside and deliver precise passes, coupled with his speed and dribbling, makes him a constant threat. Kulusevski’s recent form suggests that he is in the kind of shape to cause City’s defense more nightmares, and with the team desperate for points, his influence could prove pivotal once again.

Manchester City – Omar Marmoush

Omar Marmoush has made an impressive start to life at Manchester City, standing out as one of the few bright spots in what has been a challenging period for the reigning champions. The Egyptian forward scored a memorable hat-trick against Newcastle, showing his clinical finishing ability and his knack for finding the back of the net. Despite City’s struggles, Marmoush was one of the standout performers in their recent loss to Liverpool, providing the team’s attacking spark when others faltered. His 15 goals in just 17 Bundesliga games for Frankfurt this season demonstrate his ability to perform at the highest level, and he will be key to City’s chances of bouncing back against Spurs.

Omar Marmoush just made HISTORY! ?

A hat-trick in just 3 Premier League matches—Salah needed 43 games to do the same. ?

The Egyptian king is rising FAST. ? Watch out, Premier League! ? pic.twitter.com/BI1vqfAFnf

— 365Scores (@365Scores) February 15, 2025

Key Statistics

• Spurs’ Historic Opportunity: After their dominant 4-0 victory in the reverse fixture, Tottenham are aiming for their first league double over Manchester City since the 2021-22 season. The last time they achieved this feat without conceding was back in the 2009-10 campaign.
• City’s Record in North London: Manchester City have not had the best of luck in recent trips to London. They are winless in their last three Premier League away matches against capital sides (D2 L1), a stark contrast to their six-game winning run in London before this. Their last longer winless streak in the capital came between February and November 2020 (4 games), with their most recent such stretch happening in the 2014-15 season (5 games).
• The Rare Three-Time Victim: Tottenham have already taken down Manchester City twice this season, with a 4-0 win in the Premier League and a 2-1 triumph in the EFL Cup. No team has ever beaten both Manchester giants three times in a single campaign.
• Spurs’ Remarkable Record Against Manchester Teams: Tottenham have now triumphed over both Manchester City (twice) and Manchester United (three times) this season across all competitions, setting a unique record as no other team has ever achieved this feat against both Manchester clubs in the same campaign.
• Tottenham’s Recent Revival: After a rough stretch, Tottenham have hit their stride, winning their last three Premier League matches. This marks as many wins as they had in their previous 15 league games (D2 L10). The last time they enjoyed a four-match winning streak in the Premier League was in September/October 2023.
• Son’s Impressive Assist Tally: Son Heung-min has now provided nine assists in the Premier League this season, including two for Brennan Johnson in their recent 4-1 victory against Ipswich. The only seasons in which he has assisted more were 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2023-24, where he notched 10 assists in each.
• Goals Galore in the Reverse Fixture: In their 4-0 drubbing of Manchester City earlier this season, Tottenham saw James Maddison, Pedro Porro, and Brennan Johnson all get on the scoresheet. The last Spurs player to score both home and away league goals against the Citizens in a single Premier League campaign was Christian Eriksen in 2017-18. The only player to do so against the reigning champions in the competition was Teddy Sheringham, who achieved it against Blackburn in 1995-96.

Falling apart? ?

Manchester City’s season in crisis after another defeat. Who can stop the slide? ? pic.twitter.com/HhB567H1hs

— 365Scores (@365Scores) February 23, 2025

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By Nicky Helfgott – NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter)

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