Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur – Sunday 22 January – Etihad Stadium (15:30)
The English Premier League has gone beyond the half way mark and from here on out it is a sprint to the finish. This is a top of the table clash as 1st takes on 3rd. Both teams are genuine title contenders and they will be looking to put a dent in each other’s title pursuit.
At the turn of the year Man City still maintain their place at the top of the table. They currently lead their fellow Manchester rivals by 3 points as they dispatched Wigan by 1-0 on Monday night. It was a hard fought victory as Wigan gave them some scares but a header from lanky Bosnian striker Edin Džeko proved vital for the win. Man City’s squad has been somewhat depleted as they have lost the Toure brothers to the African Nations Cup and are missing the likes of Vincent Kompany through suspension. They have looked a bit shaky in recent time’s especially defensive wise as they were dumped out the FA Cup by Man United and have a one goal deficit to rescue in the 2nd leg of the Carling Cup against Liverpool. Man City will be highly tested in the next coming weeks and Mancini will be hoping his team can push to their first title.
Tottenham are having their best season since the late 80’s as they are looking like real title contenders thus far. They currently sit in 3rd spot on the log and are 5 points off their opponents. Manager Harry Redknapp has once again lived up to his title as the Houdini of the English Premiership as he has transformed a team that started off dismally into a team challenging for the title and look good value to secure a spot in the Champions League next season. Redknapp has a high quality of depth at his disposal and although losing captain Ledley King to an ongoing thigh injury they have managed to cope with the likes of Younès Kaboul and Michael Dawson filling the void. On Loan striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been in good form as he has scored 9 goals in his 17 appearances, however he will not be able to feature in this encounter due to the clause in his contract as he is on loan from Man City. Harry Redknapp will be looking to the likes of Rafael van der Vaart, Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon to provide the decisive victory.
This will be a tough encounter as both teams are in great form and the spirits are high in the camp. The last time these two met, Man City ran out comfortable winners by a whopping 5-1 score line and Tottenham will be aware of this. Man City has yet to be defeated at home and the draw will be the best bet in this clash.
