Premier League: Manchester City vs. Tottenham Preview, Odds, Prediction

Thursday’s game between Manchester City and Tottenham is postponed from the seventh round, and it might be one of the most important clashes of the entire season. City is in a tough spot, and three points here are imperative; otherwise, the title is heading for the Emirates Stadium in London. As for the Spurs, they are desperately trying to create chemistry on the field and to get back into the top-four zone, which leads to the UEFA Champions League next year. The way they play, it won’t be easy at all.

Preview

Manchester City (-310) needs a win here not only to take three points and stay in the title race but to erase a defeat against Manchester United last Saturday. It was a very painful experience for the Citizens, who had the lead at Trafford but lost in the very final minutes of the game, thanks to a very, very controversial officiating.

This was the second straight defeat for the Citizens, who lost to Southampton at St. Marry’s stadium, 2-0. It was an FA Cup clash, meaning the Citizens are already out of contention for one trophy. It would be disastrous to see them giving up on the EPL title this early.

That’s why they need to win on Thursday. Overall, they are pretty good at home, winning eight of the past ten events at the Etihad, with one draw and one loss. Also, they’ve scored at least two goals in eight games, and kept five clean sheets during that span.

Tottenham (+650) also had a tough loss last weekend. They, too, suffered a defeat in the local derby, as Arsenal took all three points at the Tottenham Stadium, 0-2. It was an open game, with chances on both ends, yet, this time, not only did the Spurs’ back line fail to meet the expectations (which is kinda expected), but the strikers, too, had one mediocre performance.

Antonio Conte is in problems for the first time since taking over the Spurs, and he has multiple issues in his team. The most important is the defense, which falls apart at least once during 90 minutes against any opponent.

It’s pretty obvious on the road, where they conceded in four of the past five contests. By the way, four games were with at least three goals during that stretch.

Latest News

Josh Stones and Ruben Dias are injured, and they probably won’t be in the protocol for this event. Stones’ injury is lighter than Dias’, yet his chances of playing are very low.

Lucas Moura is out for this one, while Rodrigo Betancur remains questionable due to his muscle injury.

Head to Head Games

Both teams have 65 wins so far, and 36 games concluded with a draw. When looking at the past few years, Tottenham has more success winning four of the last six meetings. They were better on both occasions last year, 2-3 at the Etihad and 1-0 at home.

Prediction

This is the moment when City gets its revenge for last year’s defeats. As you can see, Tottenham is in terrible shape, and even though City too experienced back-to-back losses, their game is much better and with a system, unlike Tottenham’s. Also, playing at home is an excellent boost for the Citizens.

Pick: Man City wins -310