Spurs will head to Manchester to take on the Citizens on Saturday, in what could be one of the most dramatic clashes so far in the season. City may have just given Pep Guardiola a 1-year contract extension, but City are in real dire straits, for the first time in a very, very long time.
They are on a 4-match losing streak, having petered out against Brighton and Bournemouth in the EPL, lost to Sporting in the Champions League, and crashed out of the EFL Cup against Tottenham, who they face again this weekend. That is not the end to Pep’s woes, as City are playing at Anfield against Liverpool on December 1. But then we can also consider the reverse scenario, in which City thrash Spurs at the Etihad, and then take the fight to Anfield and cripple Liverpool, reducing the gap to just 2 points (or fewer if Liverpool drops points).
The season may hang on threads at this point, but Pep has the chance to rectify November’s slip ups right here and now, as City have done time and time again in previous seasons.
Man City vs Tottenham Match Details
Nov 23, Saturday 17:30 @ Etihad Stadium
The game will take place on Saturday, and it will be the 7th EPL match of Round 12. Arsenal and Chelsea will play before, and Liverpool’s match will come the following day. Right now, City are 5 points behind Liverpool, with 23 points to Liverpool’s 28. But hosting Spurs is far from easy.
This City looks tired and a bit off pace, having lost easy games against Brighton and Bournemouth, and Tottenham beat City in the Carabao Cup. Granted, they played the B-team, featuring the likes of James McAtee, Savinho and James McAtee instead of Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, and Mateo Kovacic. I’m expecting City to pull out the big guns against Spurs, even if some of their top dogs are out injured. Rodri will definitely sit the game out, Ruben Dias and Phil Foden Jack Grealish are still not fully fit, and Kevin de Bruyne has had a torrid time dealing with recurring injuries.
Bet Builder Picks
Spurs stumbled in their last 2 games before the international break. They had been building up consistency in the games before, but a loss away at Galatasaray in the Europa League, followed by a massive upset against freshly promoted Ipswich Town has put Tottenham in 10th place. They have 16 points right now, and the fight for the 5th place in the Premier League is currently contested by 5 teams, with 18-19 points, meaning Spurs is not that far from finishing in the top 5.
Ange Postecoglou may have his ambitions set a little higher, especially given the close proximity of all the teams after Man City and Liverpool. Those two will most likely finish in the top 2, but a place in the top 4 is still quite possible, it all depends on how Spurs can perform in games where they are the underdogs. City are the bookies’ favourites to win here, but not by a great margin.
Man City Moneyline @ 8/15
Spurs Moneyline @ 17/4
Draw @ 18/5
Who Will Win
Both teams came bouncing back from the last UEFA Nations League international break, Spurs beat West Ham 4-1 and Man City beat Wolves 2-1, albeit with a 95th minute goal. One important thing to consider here is that while City lost hteir last 4 games, the game against Spurs did not feature big players, and in all four games they were playing away. Tottenham have one of the poorest away records in the Premier League, only winning 1 of 5 away games, and losing 3.
Manchester City and Tottenham have scored 22 and 23 goals, respectively, in 11 games, and both have conceded 13 apiece. I am inclined to back City to win here, as the recent contract extension and playing on home ground should fuel the Blues to give that little extra to get over the line. With all respect to Spurs and Postecoglou, a draw against City is a realistic and good result, unless they can take advantage of the injuries to force an upset. Tottenham are only missing Richarlison and Micky van de Ven, but they have plenty of options to cover the gaps and force City on the backfoot.
The odds on City have not been this good in a long time, so I will back Guardiola to do his magic and get 3 points on home turf.
Man City Moneyline @ 8/15
Goals Betting Markets
Even when they lose, Tottenham almost always scores, and in the whole season so far (including matches outside the EPL), Spurs have failed to score in only 2 out of 17 games. Man City have scored in all their EPL games, and only couldn’t score in 1 Champions League game, against Inter Milan at San Siro. The nature and timing of this game screams goals, but we can’t rule out the possibility of either manager taking a conservative stance and settling for a 1-0 win.
It is quite the predicament, so instead I will cast your attention to an alternative to Over Under Total Goals bets. Haaland only scored 1 goal in his last 3 games for City, but during the international break he has once again found his scoring boots. Against Slovenia he scored and provided 1 assist, and then against Kazakhstan Haaland got a hattrick – securing promotion for Norway.
In his last 2 home games for City, Haaland scored 3 goals, and the odds on him to score are quite generous here. And just to give a little extra information to bite on, Haaland has played 4 games against Tottenham, scoring 3 goals and providing 1 assist. A penalty, one-on-one, or even a tap in opportunity is all it takes, Haaland won’t think twice with the form he’s in.
Erling Haaland Anytime Scorer @ 1/2
More Props to Consider
There are lots of different avenues to explore in this game, such as corners betting, or predicting what will happen in the first half. One popular market that comes very well priced here is BTTS. With respect to the fact that both these teams have quality defensive players, they have both conceded 1.18 goals per game so far, and both teams have more than their fair share of goal scorers. Therefore, I’m going to back both teams to score.
The odds are quite generous, and going on the stats, it looks very likely. I would not back Tottenham to put one past City, but without Rodri, Ruben Dias, and with Manuel Akanji and John Stones’ fitness in doubt, Guardiola will need a minor miracle to keep the cleansheet. Plus I’m really liking Spurs’ fresh attacking force, bolstered by Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson, who are the perfect duo to support Heung-min Son in front.
Both Teams to Score: Yes @ 10/21
BettingTools Man City vs Spurs Bet Builder Tips
These picks look quite straightforward, and gives possibility for a number of scenarios, which I like. I need Man City to win, but they can do so by running away with a 3-1 or 4-1 home victory, or they can sit tight and hold onto a 2-1 victory. Erling Haaland switched into top gear for the international break, and I won’t put it past him to get 1 of City’s goals. Spurs, on the other hand, can hit City where it hurts with pacey strikes slipping between Guardiola’s second-choice defensive players.
My argument is simply – look at all the odds – they are all just under or over 1/2, which has an implied probability of around 66.67%. You can try adding your own selections to the pick, to ramp up those odds, but at your own peril. I would recommend using our acca calculator to check the odds, and always test them through our free odds calculator, to crunch the numbers and show you the probability of your acca to hit. This game has every chance of finishing with Under 3.5 goals, and with hot-headed players such as Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur and Mateo Kovacic, it also has good yellow card potential.
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