Tottenham Hotspur will hope to carry their Champions League momentum into the Premier League this Sunday, when they host Man City, looking to climb up the table.
Under huge pressure for several weeks, Thomas Frank finally received some breathing space after Spurs’ impressive 2-0 win away at Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday. That result secured qualification to the Champions League round of 16, with Tottenham finishing fourth in the table, and it earned the manager plenty of praise from supporters.
What continues to frustrate many fans, however, is how different this Tottenham side looks in the Premier League compared to Europe. Spurs currently sit 14th in the table with just 28 points from 23 matches, having let another win slip away in last weekend’s late 2-2 draw against Burnley.
Manchester City, meanwhile, also scraped through to the Champions League knockout stages after a 2-0 victory over Galatasaray, finishing eighth in the Champions League table. In the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s side remain right in the title race, sitting second and just four points behind Tottenham’s north London rivals, a fact that will not be lost on Spurs supporters this weekend.
City responded well domestically after a disappointing run that included a 2-0 Manchester derby defeat and a 3-1 Champions League loss to Bodo/Glimt, beating Wolves 2-0 in their last league outing.
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Tottenham vs Man City: head-to-head record
The reverse fixture earlier this season saw Tottenham run out comfortable 2-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium. Across the last five meetings between the two sides, Spurs hold a slight edge, having won three and lost two.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was once a venue where Manchester City struggled, failing to win there for several years, but they have managed victories on both of their Premier League visits since 2024.
Tottenham team news
Tottenham were dealt two major injury blows this week, with Pedro Porro and Micky Van de Ven both missing the trip to Frankfurt.
Porro is set to be sidelined for around four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury, having been forced off at half-time against Burnley. Thomas Frank confirmed that Van de Ven’s issue is less serious, though he declined to specify the exact problem and did not rule him out entirely, making the Dutchman a major doubt for this fixture.
There was some good news in midweek, as Joao Palhinha and Pape Sarr both returned to the starting XI against Frankfurt after brief spells on the sidelines.
Other confirmed absentees include Ben Davies, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus.
Manchester City team news
Jeremy Doku became City’s latest injury concern after being withdrawn in the first half against Galatasaray with a calf injury, having assisted both of City’s goals in that match.
Pep Guardiola will also be without Ruben Dias, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Savinho.
Oscar Bobb is expected to complete a permanent move to Fulham this week and will not be part of the City squad.
Predicted line-ups
Tottenham: Vicario; Spence, Romero, Danso, Udogie; Bissouma, Gallagher, Simons; Odobert, Solanke, Tel
Manchester City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O Reilly; Rodri; Semenyo, Silva, Cherki; Foden, Haaland
Our prediction
Keep an eye on Tottenham’s captain Cristian Romero. With three goals and an assist in his last four appearances, the Argentine is arguably the most in-form defender in Europe right now. His battle with Erling Haaland will be one to watch, especially after how effectively Romero dealt with the Norwegian in the reverse fixture.
Despite Thomas Frank still being under pressure, many Tottenham supporters would be more forgiving of a defeat here since it dents Arsenal’s title hopes.
The players, however, will be far more focused on getting three points themselves, knowing a positive result could finally spark a climb up the table.