Manchester City’s Premier League title defense resumes this weekend against Tottenham at the Etihad. Before the international break, the reigning champions endured four straight defeats across competitions, including two in the league. Similarly, Tottenham have lost three of their last five EPL matches.
We’ve analyzed key stats from both teams to create a detailed breakdown. Below is a handy guide with betting tips selected for Nigerian punters.
Man City-Tottenham Head-to-Head Analysis
Historic Performances
This fixture’s history provides valuable insights into the upcoming clash. Factoring in their past encounters helps anticipate whether history might repeat itself. Check the sections below for a detailed review of their previous meetings.
Recent Encounters
Their past league meetings have been evenly contested, with Tottenham winning three and Manchester City winning two with just a draw. Most recently, in the EFL Cup this season, Tottenham eliminated City with a 2-1 victory. This was the beginning of the Citizens’ four-match winless streak.
Therefore, the history of this contest shows that Tottenham know their way around City’s team irrespective of the ground. Spurs are likely to win this match or settle for a draw. All bettors must consider these factors when staking for the game.
Key Factors Influencing the Match
After reviewing past meetings, let’s evaluate both teams’ recent performances. We’ll also examine prior results that could impact their form this weekend.
Previous Match
Man Pep Guardiola’s side is enduring a challenging spell, trailing Liverpool by five points after 11 matches. Manchester City, usually dominant, have lost their last four games across all competitions—a first under Guardiola’s management. This includes back-to-back Premier League losses, something Guardiola has only experienced four times before.
City’s recent struggles follow an impressive 32-match unbeaten Premier League streak, which ended with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth earlier this month. They now sit second, five points adrift of Liverpool entering the international break.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have had an inconsistent season under Ange Postecoglou. They’ve only managed back-to-back wins once and suffered four losses, three of which came away at Newcastle, Brighton, and Crystal Palace. Spurs’ away form has been poor in 2024, with just three wins from 14 road games. However, one of those wins was a 3-0 triumph at Manchester United earlier this season.
Man City are now a shadow of what they used to be due to their recent results. Their dilemma started when they lost Ballon D’or Player of the Year to an ACL injury. Apart from that, they lost a few more key players to injuries, which added to their woes. Therefore, Tottenham will fancy their chances of winning on Saturday or forcing the game to a deadlock.
Players
Erling Haaland remains Manchester City’s main attacking threat. With 12 goals in 11 Premier League games, he’ll look to help City bounce back. Haaland will be supported by Phil Foden, Doku, and Savinho during the attack.
For Tottenham, Dominic Solanke has hit form with four league goals. Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson will back him on the flanks.
However, City faces uncertainty about the availability of Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias, and John Stones due to injury, while Rodri (knee) and Oscar Bobb (leg) are long-term absentees. Spurs are without Richarlison, Micky van de Ven, and Wilson Odobert (all hamstring). Timo Werner (groin) also has doubts.
Home Advantage
Tottenham have won just once in their last five meetings with Man City at the Etihad, while Pep’s team have won twice with two draws. This shows that the Spurs can take the fight to the citizens this weekend, who are currently plagued with injuries to key players and are struggling with form.
Punters should pay little attention to Man City’s home advantage in the weekend’s clash. Evidently, both teams are not in great shape, but Tottenham might just exploit City’s weaknesses to triumph or draw the game.
Betting Tips
Based on head-to-head records and key stats, here are the valuable betting tips for punters ahead of the Man City vs. Tottenham showdown:
Betting Odds
Here are the latest odds provided by Nigerian bookmakers for this fixture:
Man City to Win – 1.50 | Draw – 4.50 | Tottenham to Win – 6.00
The odds indicate that most bookies strongly back Man City to claim home victory in this game. This makes Tottenham a heavy underdog for an away win. However, Spurs have a slight edge to claim at least one point at the Etihad due to many injury concerns at Man City. Therefore, Tottenham will win the match or at least get a draw on Saturday.
Final Thoughts on the Match
Injuries have affected Man City’s performance this season. Before the break, the club lost four consecutive matches across all competitions. Meanwhile, Tottenham won two within the same period.
Additionally, Tottenham has already shown what they can do to Man City this season when they eliminated them from round 4 of the EFL Cup. So, we expect Tottenham to win this contest or settle for a draw.
Samuel Okunsolawo is an iGaming expert with over six years of experience in content writing. His passion for simplifying complex concepts makes his articles accessible and useful for beginners and experts alike. With a focus on sports betting trends and reliable betting sites, Samuel’s articles are an excellent resource for those seeking guidance and staying up to date in the world of iGaming.