This Sunday will be a special day, not just for couples because it's Valentine's Day but more important, for football fans worldwide as they will have the opportunity to watch the top four teams all playing on the same day. It indeed is a rare occurrence and has only taken place on five previous Sundays, with February 14th representing the sixth.
The last time fans got to see the top four playing all on the same day? March 23, 2008. On that day, Manchester United took on Liverpool whilst Chelsea and Arsenal clashed in a London Derby. Nearly six years later, only one side - Arsenal - remains from that special quartet. Manchester United have been replaced by Manchester City, Chelsea have been usurped by city rivals Tottenham and Liverpool's spot has been taken by this season's surprise packages, Leicester City.
After Arsenal and Leicester face off, all eyes will then turn to Manchester City as they battle Tottenham at the Etihad in a match that could see a flip-flop in the league standings.
Manchester City
Of all the top four sides, Manchester City are the only side not to have won their last match, as they were brushed aside by three goals to one against Leicester City. Nonetheless, despite sitting in fourth place with 47 points, Manuel Pellegrini's squad will certainly be fancying their chances against Spurs, who are only one point away in second. For starters, City have won eight and lost just two out of their past 10 matches, and at their home base they have not lost - let alone drawn - against Tottenham since May 5, 2010.
Moreover, when it comes to these "Super Sundays" featuring the top four sides, it has been interestingly the side in fourth who has fared the best, with 50 per cent of the eight wins on those past five Sundays going to the team outside the top three. Still, City were humiliated 4-1 by Spurs in the reverse fixture at the start of this season. And they will be taking on a team that has performed well not just offensively, but also defensively: with just 19 goals conceded, Tottenham have the best defense out of the 20 teams competing in the league.
In addition, Pellegrini's men have a poor record so far this season when it comes to taking on the top six sides, with four lossess and three draws, meaning that they have yet to beat a team competing for a European football spot. And the hosts unfortunately will be missing quite a few key players due to injury.
Belgian duo Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne are both still recovering from injury and fans will hope that skipper Kompany will be able to make his long-awaited return for this match. Additional injuries include Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas, Eliaquim Mangala, and Wilfried Bony, and Pellegrini will be hoping that David Silva will be able to shake off his own injury to feature on Sunday.
He will, of course, be relying on Sergio Aguero to lead the line, and the Argentinian ace has a knack for scoring against Tottenham, with ten goals in his last eight appearances versus the London-based side. And due to all the injuries, young Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho will could be likely handed a start in what will be one of the biggest matches of his fledgling career.
Tottenham
Unlike Pellegrini, Mauricio Pochettino fortunately has few injury concerns to worry about, with only Clinton N'Jie and Jan Vertonghen being unable to make the trip on Sunday. Tottenham have truly had an impressive campaign so far, with just three defeats out of their 25 matches this season. Only Leicester, who sits five points ahead on first place, has done better. Additionally, the visitors will be coming into this match having put together a four-match winning run, and more significant, have won four out of their past six away games.
In past seasons, Tottenham often had to settle for the Europa League, but due to their excellent performances this term, Spurs are looking like a solid contender to feature in the Champions League next season for the first time since the 2010/2011 season. Key to their success has been, of course, their strong defense which has conceded just 19 goals in their first 25 games. Nonetheless, Hugo Lloris and his defense will surely be asked quite a bit of questions by City, who are the joint-highest scoring side in the league with 47 goals (tied with league leaders Leicester), and especially given Aguero's impressive scoring record against them.
On a personal level, Pochettino has not enjoyed facing Pellegrini. In their past 12 meetings in the Premier League and La Liga, the current Spurs manager has only beaten his tactical opponents once, and that was during their 4-1 drubbing of City on September 26th of last year at White Hart Lane. The other 11 match-ups have finished as nine wins for Pellegrini and two draws.
Harry Kane has arguably been one of the team's best performers, and has shown that his fantastic showings last season were not just a fluke. The young English striker is currently his team's top goal-scorer with 15 in the league and 18 across all competitions, and Pochettino will be heavily relying on him to handle much of the attacking duties at the Etihad this Sunday.
However, another bright performer for Spurs has also been another youngster, 19-year-old Dele Alli In his last 14 Premier League appearances, he has been directly involved in 11 goals with six goals and five assists. Not a bad output for a player who is playing in his debut season with the club.
One thing that fans and neutrals will likely see in this fixture are goals, goals, and possibly more goals. The last fixture saw five, four for the visitors and one for Sunday's hosts, and in their past nine meetings, 41 goals have been scored between Manchester City and Tottenham.
Which channel is broadcasting Manchester City vs Tottenham on TV or Online?
With this game arriving after the Arsenal-Leicester City clash, the outcome of this match could see some big changes in the Premier League table. Just one point separate hosts Manchester City from Tottenham, and depending on how things go, one of these teams will find themselves either closer or further away from the Foxes, who will still be on top of the league regardless of the result from their match against the Gunners.
The Etihad will be the place to be this Sunday, but if you live too far away to watch it live, no worries. LiveSoccerTV.com has plenty of choices to catch the match via your TV, phone, computer, or tablet.
Here are some viewing options for fans residing elsewhere in the UK and in the following countries:
- In the USA at 11.15 EST on: NBCSN, Westwood One Sports, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra, NBC UNIVERSO, NBC Sports Live Extra
- In the UK at 16.15 GMT on: Sky Go UK, BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports 1/HD UK, BBC Radio, SKY GO Extra, NOW TV UK
- In Canada at 11.15 ET on: Sportsnet World, Sportsnet World Now
Live elsewhere? Check out our special Manchester City vs Tottenham broadcast page for viewing times and options for wherever you call home.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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