Match preview
Manchester City will host Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium on Saturday as they look to extend their incredible winning run. The Citizens landed a new record in the English top-flight with Wednesday's night's FA Cup victory over Swansea, becoming the first club in the country to win 15 consecutive games. In what was Pep Guardiola's 200th win, goals from Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, booked a quarter-final berth for the Manchester club.
On Saturday, they will enter their Premier League clash with Spurs sitting in first position with 50 points. Last weekend, the Citizens established a five points lead at the top after rivals Manchester United dropped two points in their draw with Everton. The point deficit could be increased to eight should they win their game in hand with Aston Villa but that even be made possible should the Red Devils suffer defeat at West Brom on Sunday.
Needless to say, the form of Pep Guardiola's side gives a positive indication of what they could achieve when they welcome Tottenham to their stadium on Saturday. Boasting the best home record in the league, the former league title holders have gone on a 10-game winning run in the competition and have not lost since falling to a 2-0 defeat against Jose Mourinho's men.
For the Portuguese manager's side, the objective will be to replicate the same performance that earned them victory the last time out. However, a lot has changed since that famous victory at the Tottenham Stadium in November. Both sides were deemed as potential title contenders at the time but it is Manchester City who are living up to the billing so far.
Spurs, on the other hand, have endured a torrid time with a series of bad results hampering their charge for glory. They approach the weekend's trip to Etihad off the back of a dramatic 5-4 defeat to Everton in the FA Cup. Prior to that, the White Lilies had bounced back from three successive losses with a 2-0 win over West Brom last week.
In the Premier League, they sit in eighth position with just 36 points from a possible 66 and are four points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. Although Mourinho has beaten Manchester City twice since his appointment as Spurs manager, the form of his side does not give much promise for them to grab back-to-back wins.
Key stats
-
Manchester City are undefeated in seven of their last 10 Premier League home matches with Tottenham.
-
Tottenham Hotspur are undefeated in two meetings with Manchester City since Jose Mourinho took over.
-
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League matches since losing to Tottenham in November.
Team news
Ruben Dias and Fernandinho sat out the midweek FA Cup win at Swansea through illness but are expected to return to the starting lineup against Spurs. Rodri should also assume his position in midfield after recovering from an injury he picked up in the cup encounter.
For Tottenham, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli are expected to sit out the trip to the Etihad. Full-backs Sergio Reguilon and Serge Aurier face late fitness tests after picking up injuries in the past week.
Predicted starting XI
-
Manchester City: Ederson; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kyle Walker; Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva; Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez
-
Tottenham: Hugo Lloris; Ben Davies, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Matt Doherty; Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg; Heung-min Son, Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura; Harry Kane.
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
