Football.London

Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester City in the Premier League tonight (Wednesday) as they look to make it three league wins in a row and continue to climb the table.

Ange Postecoglou’s side followed up a 1-0 win over Manchester United with a 4-1 away win over Ipswich Town on Saturday. Spurs are looking to continue their improved form when they host City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ahead of the games, there is doubts over the availability of City’s star striker Erling Haaland. The 24-year-old has missed the last two games with a knee injury.

While he was fit enough to be included on the bench against Real Madrid a week ago, he was left out of the squad altogether for the weekend’s Premier League clash against Liverpool.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola gave the latest. "Tonight we will know after training,” he said. “I hope (he will be fit) but I don't know yet. He feels better but the last two games he could not play. We'll see tomorrow."

The club have since sent a hint that he could be fit for the game, with the striker featuring in pictures of training released by City both on Monday and Tuesday. Sky Sports have also shared images of Haaland taking part in training as usual on Tuesday as the team build-up to the game.

Haaland’s absence has seen City score just once in their last two outings, with the players scoring or assisting in his last four Premier League matches. He did however draw a blank in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium as Spurs ran out as 4-0 winners over City.

Watch all 10 fixtures from Matchday 27 of the Premier League, including Tottenham v Manchester City, exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from Tuesday 25 th to Thursday 27 th February

Discussing the futures of Tottenham's bright young stars & whether they have a future at the club - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Tottenham will be looking to pick up a third win of the season against Manchester City when the two sides meet in the Premier League later today.

A 4-1 win against Ipswich Town saw Spurs pick up two Premier League wins in a row for the first time since September on the weekend, with Ange Postecoglou's side starting to look themselves again with a few players returning from injury. The victory left Spurs 12th in the table and still some distance off the top four, but the Lilywhites will be looking to make it three league wins on the trot for the first time this season when they welcome Man City to north London.

The two sides have already met twice so far this season, with Spurs winning 2-1 at home in the Carabao Cup before beating City 4-0 in an emphatic Premier League victory at the Etihad. None of Postecoglou's squad will be returning from injury lay-offs for the clash with City, but Ben Davies has been ruled out once again after not making the squad against Ipswich.

So, can Spurs make it three wins out of three against City when the two sides meet tonight? Let's take a look.

We simulated Tottenham vs Man City to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Man City could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Kovacic; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Marmoush.

We predict that Spurs could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Vicario; Porro, Gray, Danso, Spence; Bentancur, Bergvall, Maddison; Kulusevski, Tel, Son.

Spurs were the better team in the opening stages of the game, but it was City who took the lead against the run of play, with Phil Foden firing home from the centre of the box after Omar Marmoush's shot was blocked into his path. The goal didn't knock Spurs though, and the hosts eventually found the equaliser before the break.

Djed Spence did brilliantly to break down the left and send a cross into the box, with Heung-Min Son's volley towards goal being saved by Ederson. Fortunately for Spurs, the keeper's save deflected back to Son, and he managed to head home the second attempt to make it 1-1.

Just after half-time, Mathys Tel got in on the act as he tapped Son's driven cross through Ederson's legs from close range, putting Spurs in the lead, and deservedly so. Spurs managed 15 shots to City's three after 60 minutes, and not long after the hour mark, a wonder goal opened up a two-goal gap between the sides.

A turnover in possession saw Rodrigo Bentancur pick up possession on the halfway line before surging towards goal with options on either side. City sat off the midfielder and allowed him to shoot, with his 25-yard strike powering into the top corner to make it 3-1.

City pulled a goal back in the 89th minute when Marmoush flicked Jeremy Doku's cross in at the front post to set up a nervy ending for Spurs, but Postecoglou's side managed to hold on as they picked up a third Premier League win in a row.

EA FC 25 predicted final score: Tottenham 3-2 Man City

What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!

Discussing the futures of Tottenham's bright young stars & whether they have a future at the club - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur Ange Postecoglou will be attempting to complete the treble over Manchester City this season when Pep Guardiola's side visit north London in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Spurs emphatically won 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium back in November, having already earned a 2-1 Carabao Cup victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October. Now the two teams will meet once again on the turf in N17 and a victory for the north London outfit would mean six wins this season against the two sides from Manchester.

Postecoglou confirmed on Tuesday that he will continue to be without Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and Ben Davies for the game, but everyone else is in contention for the match following Saturday's 4-1 victory at Ipswich Town.

The Australian rested Pedro Porro and James Maddison for that match and as well as bringing them back in, he must decide if anyone else needs to be rested and whether either Destiny Udogie or Brennan Johnson, who scored twice at Portman Road, can start two matches in five days.

Here's the Spurs team that we reckon Postecoglou will select to face Manchester City on Wednesday evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke is ahead of schedule in his return from his knee injury but he is wary of pushing the England international too quickly.

The 27-year-old has enjoyed a strong start to his Spurs time with 17 goal involvements in 29 matches since his £60million move from Bournemouth last summer. However, a freak non-contact knee injury suffered in training while taking a shot has ruled him out since mid-January and Postecoglou was asked for the latest on Solanke as well as injured centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

"The first European game [at AZ Alkmaar next Thursday] I’d say outside chance for any of the three of them but certainly they'll be back training fully by then and then we've got Bournemouth at the weekend and I reckon much better odds for that," said the Australian. "Definitely, by the second European game they should all be available to play.

"Dom's the only one where we've got to be careful because he's ahead of schedule so I don't want to push that in case we need to pull the reins in a bit but with Romero and Micky that's the plan at this stage."

He added: "We’ve a little window where hopefully we can get something into them and have still got two European games and three league games between now and the international break so I really want them up and running by then."

The Spurs head coach was asked about whether he's tempted to push up the intensity of the training sessions now he has got players back from the injury crisis that strangled the club somewhat during the winter months.

"I would love to do some double sessions but we’ve got to be sensible about it. It has been a balancing of also some rejuvenation for the group that’s been through it. So it’s two separate groups, there’s the group that's back and hungry for work and want to hit the ground running and the other group. I think so far we’ve got the balance right," he said.

"We gave them a couple of days off before the Ipswich game then two or three solid days' work so it’s always a balancing act between the two. But even the players enjoy it, they’d much rather come to training and feel like they’ve had a good session rather than not go through the motions but go out there knowing they’re going to have to sort of hold things back because there’s another game in a day's time."

Postecoglou explained further about how important tempo was to training sessions and the subsequent matches.

"[Having players back has] made an enormous difference for us. It was part of the frustration because obviously when you’re going through that period of so many games and with the small squad because of our injury situation, we couldn’t really train," he said. "So you want to rectify things and the best place to rectify things is on the training track and we just couldn’t do it.

"You try to replicate it but at a really low tempo, which wasn’t realistic. Whereas now, I think we saw the benefits of that in the Ipswich game. I think that’s as fluent as we’ve been sort of middle to front third in terms of our football and it’s because we did so much work leading up to it during the week.

"The players were able to train and it’s not just the training but then also because we’d got players back, we’re not training with the young players from our academy. We’re actually training as a squad which again means the level is really good. Like I said, just being able to work on patterns, work on some of our attacking third stuff, our mid to front third stuff which I think we’ve struggled with.

"A lot of that has been because of personnel, lack of personnel but you could already see the benefit of that at the weekend and again I guess after Wednesday we get another week to work on those things. I know the coaches have loved it because that’s where we can help the players but I think the players have appreciated just being able to work on our game."

He added: "It's not just intensity. The kind of match work that we’ve been able to do that we’ve had to sort of steer away from because we had to protect the players.

"Just our normal attacking patterns that we work on. You try to simulate match conditions so players can find solutions in those areas. You can’t do that when you try to protect them from the physical load and also the quality of players we had. Now we can work on our patterns, whether that’s in an attacking sense or defensive sense in kind of match-like situations and at a match tempo, not for the duration but it gives players the opportunity to practice some of the things we talk about."

One new player in the group is Mathys Tel, who has had to fill the role left by Solanke in recent matches. The teenager has been a willing runner if not having the physical build of players like the England striker, Liam Delap or Erling Haaland to act as a focal point. Postecoglou believes the Frenchman will become something different.

"I don’t think he’s going to be that kind of striker, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a really good central striker, there are different types," he said. "With Mathys, and I’m not on social media but I can just imagine the comments about him, he’s 19-years-old, he hadn’t played a lot, we’ve thrown him in and kept him in there because I want to build up his fitness.

"But if anyone is expecting him to come in as a 19-year-old and take the Premier League by storm by scoring multiple goals, it’s not realistic. It just can’t happen. What we’re trying to do is work with him. He needs to get his physical fitness up because he hasn’t played a lot of football.

"At 19, I see really outstanding attributes in him that I think he could be a really good number nine, he can play wide as well, but he’s not going to be a Dom or a Delap, he’s a different type. Looking at him in training, his movements are becoming a bit more fluent, he’s getting used to the way we play. He’s getting used to the level of competition.

"What I do love about him is that he’s a hard worker. You watch him in games, he’s closing people down, he’s doing the things we need him to do at the moment to help us. He may not be getting the goals and the accolades, but he’s certainly contributing to the way we want to play. That’s the most important thing. He’s got so much growth in him and I’m sure we’ll see that."

Spurs will go into Wednesday night's game against Manchester City as the Premier League's second-highest scorers this season behind Liverpool. They have the same goal difference as Pep Guardiola's City side, yet the visitors lie fourth in the table with Tottenham back in 12th, 11 points behind them.

It was put to Postecoglou that that was a bizarre situation and he nodded his head.

"It is. I had it once before, with Yokohama in my third year. We finished ninth and were the second-highest goalscorers in the league," he said. "On the one hand it gives you encouragement, because you go, ‘OK, there is something there’. But the other bit is the frustrating bit.

"Because you think we’re probably six or seven points off being in a really decent position. You kick yourself thinking about some of the games we’ve dropped. That’s where the anomaly lies. I think the underlying statistics show we should be higher up, but we’re not.

"That’s the reality of it. It’s because in some games we’ve shot ourselves in the foot in terms of moments where we’ve let games get away from us, balances against the extreme situation we’re in in terms of injuries. But I always see those things as more encouraging than not.

"When you’re going through a tough spot and you’re not in a place you want to be, you’re looking for signs. Is there anything there that shows we’re on the right track? I’ve always felt goal difference is a good indicator. Goals scored is a good indicator. Usually the teams who score the most goals are in a decent position in the ladder because it’s the hardest thing to do.

"The underlying stuff is there but it’s been masked by the fact that we’re two or three games away from being where we should be. When I think about some of the games we’ve dropped, that’s a little bit self-inflicted."

Discussing what changes Ange Postecoglou should make for Man City plus that performance at Ipswich. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou held his press conference on Tuesday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's clash with Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Spurs welcome Pep Guardiola's side to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after back-to-back victories against Manchester United and Ipswich made it three wins in a row in the league. City have had a difficult week with defeats to Liverpool in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Postecoglou and his players will need to be wary of a City response but if they could win it would mean the north London outfit would have triumphed in all six games they have played against Manchester opposition his season. On Tuesday, the Australian delivered the latest updates on Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and if any fresh injuries that came out of the 4-1 victory at Portman Road.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Postecoglou ahead of the game. Here's a full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

What's the latest team news?

It will be the same as the weekend squad-wise. Everyone got through the weekend well, no issues from it. We could obviously protect a few guys — Pedro (Porro) and (James) Maddison, didn’t start. Everyone is good.

With the injured guys, nothing has really changed. They are still progressing and training on and off with us. Hopefully over the next 7-10 days reintroduction.

Can Archie Gray and Kevin Danso handle Erling Haaland?

It’s a great challenge for them. [Liam] Delap was a handful last week. Erling is the premier striker in world football when he is up and running. Great challenge but whether he plays or not it will still be a great test for all of our group.

Are you confident about beating Man City?

You are always looking forward to the challenge. Man City are an outstanding football club, great manager and they have still got great footballers. They are still playing really challenging football for any opponent but we have enjoyed our games against them whether that was this year or last year. You know you are going to get a good football game. They are going to try to win. They are going to play expansively and we are going to try to do the same. It’s going to be a good test for us.

There's been talk of a Rodrigo Bentancur contract extension? How good has he been this season?

Rodri has been great. In terms of his contract situation that is handled by other people and obviously a lot of our strategizing is not just about the short term but the longer term. Rodri, this latter period, is getting back to the levels he wants to be. He was coming off a long term injury last year, came back looked really good and then got another injury. It’s really disruptive. Even this year he got off to a false start with his long suspension. You can see he just needs regular game time and he is getting up to speed. Really good guy around the group as well. He is experienced now. From our perspective, in this run-in he is going to be really important.

Has three wins in a row improved the mood?

Everybody is dismissing that we lost two cup games in there as well so it is not exactly three in a row. We understand there was a disappointment in there as well. I think the last couple of games in particular have certainly given us encouragement in terms of just being able to re-energise the group. Whether that is the guys who worked really hard through that period where we were really challenged or the guys coming back in. There is just a real good energy around it. The guys who missed out have been really keen to contribute and you have seen the enthusiasm that, Vicario, Brennan at the weekend, Maddison coming back in, Destiny, these guys have bought. It has helped the rest of the group. I think we have benefitted from that with the two weeks we have had of no midweek games. So all of those things and then you get two wins which makes people feel good and is something for us to build on.

With players returning and two wins, is there a sense of frustration of what could have been?

Yeah, potentially because I have always said, I still feel like we’re on the right path and yet every other indicator you look at when you look at a sporting club in terms of results, it doesn’t really show that, but I’ve always felt we’re building a really good group of players who have a lot of growth and could potentially really make an impact. We just haven’t been able to do that, but having said that, still plenty for us to play for this year and still an opportunity for us to make a real impact.

They say things come in threes, how much of an achievement would it be to beat Pep's City three times in a season?

Some things come in 33 it has felt like! Yeah, look it is always a challenge when you play City and they challenge you in ways other clubs don’t in terms of their football. I know for them they are going through a rough trot, but their football is still a real challenge to play against but it’s a great challenge. It’s what you want and you want to measure yourself. They’ll come here and try play, be dominant on the ball and we want to be dominant, but you know against Man City you can’t be and it’s impossible to be dominant in all facets.

They will have times in the game where they take control and it’s how we deal with that and cope with that. We’ve done that not too bad in the games we’ve played against them and for us that will be the challenging bit. When we have our moments, we have to show quality. I know we beat them and the scoreline sounds convincing at their place, but it was the quality of our finishing that was the difference. We didn’t create a lot of chances, but the quality of our goals was high up and you have to against them. I love coming up against Pep’s teams and looking forward to it.

Since Guardiola has been in England, Tottenham have been a bogey team for Man City. Why do Tottenham thrive against Man City?

Yeah, I don’t know how much you can read into that kind of stuff because over the course of that time I guess he’s faced different types of Tottenham teams and difference managers. Sometimes it’s just circumstance. I know from our perspective and for the most part against the teams that are challenging, we’ve done well in the two years I’ve been here. There has been a couple of games where we’ve been blown away but for the most part our struggles have been against teams that aren’t doing as well in the league rather than the teams that are doing well. Part of that is because we’re playing against teams that are trying to dominant the game and that allows us to play our football, but at the same time you can’t be dismissive of the quality they have. It looks like they’re going through a rough trot at the moment but that’s because of the unbelievable standards they have set since Pep has been there. Not just results but in terms of the football they play.

What have you made of Manchester City's season?

I think it's just a way of elite sport, you know, and it just sheds light on how extraordinary they have been. The fact that they did win four in a row and, and the consistency of that four in a row of just the sheer numbers they accumulated in terms of points, in terms of goals, in terms of wins, it's just competing on all [fronts], it's just an unbelievable and probably unprecedented standard that they set, and it's only natural that that's never gonna continue forever, I mean that's just not sustainable.

But you know what, if they bounce back next year and win it, which I don't think anyone in this room could discount that's possible, and you say they've won five out of six, you'd be going 'they're still pretty good', so more than pretty good.

Sometimes these things happen, you know, I think injuries, key injuries and some things that are going against them, sometimes just brings you back to the field and. that's elite sport, it's just fine margins.

Djed Spence, he's taken advantage of other players' injuries, taken his opportunity and I just wondered what you've made of him really this season?

Yeah, as I said last week, he's been outstanding, he continues to be outstanding. The challenge for Djed is to keep going, you know, not to be satisfied with what he's got now and with the same hunger and attitude that he's taken his opportunity. As you said, that's all you can sort of provide is an opportunity, he needs now to make sure that he doesn't look back from that and and keeps pushing on because he's got so still so much I think growth in him and potential.

He hasn't really been settled in his career apart over the years, at Forest where he kind of really had some great form, but since then it's been stop-start for him or he's just got to ensure now that now that he's up and running, he keeps going.

I just wanted to ask you about Timo Werner, has he been available but just not getting into what's a stronger matchday squad now or is he not quite there yet?

No, he was only really available for the weekend, but because of the matchday squad and the kind of makeup of the squad, I left him out obviously we've Ben going out we put Reguilon on as an extra defender on the bench, but it was only Sunday's game he was actually available, but he's trained and he's available for tomorrow.

With Ben Davies, at the weekend you said it was kind of managing his minutes, has something else happened since?

No, no, it's still the same, he's been carrying a little bit of a knock for a little while and to be fair to him, he's played through it. But I've said before that I think this is a real key period for us. I want as many players in the best possible condition for what's coming up and, you know, after this game again, we've got a good seven day break, leading into then Europe, league, Europe, league, and those four games are going to be massive for us and I don't see the need to push people at this stage when we've got others that probably need the game time like Destiny and Brennan, Wilson, these guys who are coming back, so he hasn't re-injured or anything, but it's just like I said, he's been carrying something that I just don't want to sort of push at the moment.

Dane Scarlett, it looked like that assist at the weekend meant a lot to him, obviously at a ground where he had a tough loan, and in his past three games, he's got a goal and two assists, what have you seen in his development since he's come back?

Yeah, look, he's working hard, Dane, like you said, he's had a couple of difficult loans and that's part of the process as well for him. We were just talking about Djed, who had three difficult loans, so some of it is just perseverance and keep working hard and waiting for your opportunity. He has done well for us. I said when he came back, he wasn't in the greatest physical condition and he's working hard on that and hopefully he gets more opportunities.

As an aside I've got to say the assist is the most useless statistic in world football. Seriously, it could come off your backside, fall to somebody on the halfway line he scores, and it's an assist. So it doesn't impress me, but Dane's assist at the weekend was a good one.

Discussing what changes Ange Postecoglou should make for Man City plus that performance at Ipswich. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

Over 20 years on from his last match as Tottenham manager, Glenn Hoddle has sympathy for current boss Ange Postecoglou during what has been a tough run. Despite winning three consecutive Premier League games - now the best of any side in the division - the chaotic and destructive start to the season has left Postecoglou under scrutiny throughout.

Although attention has largely gone above his head and towards the way Daniel Levy runs the club - as evidenced by recent protests - Postecoglou has come in for his fair share of criticism as well. His bold summer statements over winning trophies in his second season couple with yet another injury crisis left things at boiling point with results dwindling.

Spurs have been booed off multiple times this year and Postecoglou was confronted by travelling supporters in December after defeat at Bournemouth. Things got worse before they got better, and even reaching the Carabao Cup semi-finals has not been enough to satisfy a disgruntled set of supporters who are eager for change at multiple levels.

As Postecoglou deals with fitness setbacks, outside noise and poor league form up until recently, Hoddle believes that he won't take the recent action or discontent personally. "I think he understands, every football manager and every person understands that it's results-driven, but sometimes there is a story behind the results, and there is at the moment," the club icon told football.london.

"Ange will understand the frustration. I understand the frustration he has gone through by missing so many key players. And the vision that he had for his second year after last year would have been shattered. The rope has been taken from under his feet.

"My only question mark, really, is once you haven't got all your players fit and probably with nine or 10 [unavailable] during that moment, you perhaps cannot play the same way as the way you want to play because you have not got the personnel to do it." Speaking on behalf of TNT Sport, who Hoddle will be representing as a pundit for the midweek round of fixtures, the former England boss explained just how coaches need to adapt to these sorts of testing times.

"The personnel are having to play every game and every minute," he said. "They're on injury alert anyway so it is a double problem. There are times to adjust. When you have everyone fit and able, fantastic, go and play that way with the principles that you want.

"Management, sometimes, I have been in clubs - when I first went to Chelsea - I wanted to play three at the back but I did not have the right players at that time so we adjusted and played a different shape. We got progression that way. It was the same at Southampton.

"I wanted to play three at the back and did not feel like it suited them so we went 4-3-3. It's a challenge and it's a good challenge for a coach. I loved the fact that I had to change a little bit.

"That's what happens when a team plays three at-the-back or five. It's three at the back with the ball but you go into a back four when you defend, if the style of play we are playing against forces you to do that.

"When you've lost the personnel to actually go out and do as you want to, I just feel that is something fans can understand. If we were getting results left, right, and centre, but we aren't.

"We've been beaten by teams down the bottom at times and sometimes in football you have to tuck the belt in a little bit and wait for your better players and your stronger players to come back. Then you go again and the team will be in a better position when you get your strength back.

"That's the only question mark that I would say about this season. But I have every sympathy for Ange with the injuries that he's got. In the long-term it's been absolutely crucifying his plans and that is frustrating."

As injured players have returned there has been an uptick recently. Postecoglou has been waiting for this moment for months and hit back at suggestions that it was a worry when his side 'didn't look like a Postecoglou team' in the face of adversity.

Forced to select a group of youngsters and moving many out of position to accommodate, Hoddle has also been impressed by Postecoglou's ability to stay in line, choosing not to complain openly about the shortcomings in his squad or any of the decision-makers above him, including Levy and Johan Lange. "To be fair, I think that's probably where he's done a really good job, actually," he admitted.

"Ange has kept saying repeatedly for the players and for himself that we can't listen to the noise outside. You've got to reverse that and actually use it and use it for good because if you listen to too many people, you know, I was England manager and crikey, that's a job that if you listen to too many people outside, you'd never do the job.

"You have to be insolent, you have to be able to talk to people, your players, your staff, and just shut the noise out because everyone is going to have a lot of different opinions in football and social media now. Even fans. You just cannot allow that to effect you.

"The main thing is the injuries. Getting the players back, training them, preparing them, playing how you want to play. Getting over the line and getting some results. That's what Ange will be thinking about and I really genuinely think he's the type who will say 'the job wire, if people do not want me here, that will look after itself.' We all know in football that it is results at the end of the day.

"What Ange has gone through at the moment is like a boxer going into a boxing ring and telling them 'you have got to win the heavyweight championship with one arm behind your back.' Do you think he is going to win it? That is what Tottenham have had for two or three months now."

Postecoglou has made similar points himself. Hoddle still thinks that there needs to be improvements at the core of the group in order for Spurs to get back to the level they found under Mauricio Pochettino as a challenger near the top of the table.

"If I'm going to be honest, I look at players and I look at the top teams like Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal, they are the three top teams at the moment," he said, analysing what is available in north London. "How many of Tottenham's players would go into that squad? That's a good question.

"I have not got the answer but that is how you have got to think. Son [Heung-Min] maybe a few years would have gotten into those clubs. [James] Maddison, I think is a talented player, very talented. It has been stop-start a little bit for him since the injuries he has had this season.

"That has stopped him as well as the club and the team and Ange. There's a lot of good players. A hell of a lot of good players. A lot of seven out of tens. Are there enough nine out of tens?

"There are some youngsters, which might bode well if there are four or five youngsters and it looks good for them over the next three or four years and the experience is going to bring them on as a player now. That's the question at this moment in time.

"There's a real group of players who are decent. [Dejan] Kulusevski has had a really good season. I see a little bit of fatigue coming into him for the last couple of games and it is impossible for him to keep playing as well as he did because he needs a rest and he was not able to play as well as he did. He was not allowed a rest.

"I think he was rested on one game, I remember, and he had to come on at half-time. That is what Ange and the players have had to put up with. Over a consistent period of time, maybe [Micky] van de Ven when he's fit, he probably walks into most Premier League sides.

"If you see my point, where I'm going now, it's still a good enough squad to win things. Maybe not the league at the moment but a cup, it's still good enough to do that."

Tottenham can still climb the table and will hope to continue doing so as they face Manchester City on Wednesday. They also have a favourable Europa League last-16 tie and know that all focus will be on securing a place back in the Champions League via winning that competition. With players returning, Hoddle and Postecoglou will hope that they are out of tunnel and into the light.

Watch all 10 fixtures from Matchday 27 of the Premier League, including Tottenham v Manchester City, exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from Tuesday 25 th to Thursday 27 th February

Discussing the futures of Tottenham's bright young stars & whether they have a future at the club - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

The hard work continues at Hotspur Way as Tottenham look to make it four Premier League wins on the bounce. Getting the better of Brentford, Manchester United and Ipswich Town recently, Manchester City are next on the calendar for Ange Postecoglou's side.

Spurs do have a very impressive record against City at their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium home since it opened almost six years ago, winning six of their eight encounters and losing just twice. Postecoglou may have lost both home fixtures against Pep Guardiola's side last season but Tottenham did register a very impressive 2-1 win over them in the Carabao Cup in late October.

Ahead of the latest meeting between the sides, Tottenham uploaded their latest training video as the squad put in the work in preparation for the match. Here are four things we spotted in training at their Enfield base:

Romero involved

Cristian Romero was back on the training pitch with his teammates at Hotspur Way as he steps up his fitness. Not involved for Spurs since coming off early in December's defeat against Chelsea, it shouldn't be too much longer until the World Cup winner is involved in the matchday squad once again.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's game against Man City, Postecoglou said that Romero, as well as Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke and Richarlison, is "tracking really well" and it could be in the "next seven to 10 days" for a return date. Before then, it is all about putting in the hard work on the training pitch.

Romero could be seen warming up with players such as Yves Bissouma, Pedro Porro and James Maddison and taking part in some training drills.

Ange's message to Moore

Mikey Moore's first-team football could possibly be restricted now following the return of some key players. Fellow attackers Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert have returned to action over the past fortnight, with Timo Werner now in a position to play again following his spell in the treatment room.

Moore was part of the matchday squad for last weekend's win at Ipswich Town but he did not feature in the game in Suffolk. The teenager did appear to make an impression on Postecoglou in the club's latest training session that was published by the club.

Taking part in a finishing drill with the wingers putting the ball across the face of goal for the likes of Dane Scarlett, Pape Matar Sarr and Maddison to finish off, Moore put in one cross that certainly caught the eye of Postecoglou when he was watching on from the touchline. "Great ball, Mikey" was the message to the winger from the head coach.

Team splits up

Tottenham's outfield players split into two different groups in training as they started to put in the work prior to Wednesday's game against Manchester City. Those who played the vast majority of the Ipswich match went off in one direction, leaving those who either didn't play or played limited minutes to work together elsewhere.

Players in the first group included Dejan Kulusevski, Archie Gray, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie to name a few, with Bissouma, Sarr, Romero, Porro and Maddison working away from them. It usually is the case for the players to initially split up in the days after a game just to manage their workloads.

Maddison's fourth child

It is clear to see that Maddison and Porro have a very strong bond since joining forces at Tottenham for the first time back in the summer of 2023. The pair can often be seen sharing a laugh and joke in Tottenham's training footage and photos.

In the latest training video, the duo featured early on when the team were coming out for training and Maddison made it clear that Porro is like his fourth child. Already having three children at home, the attacking midfielder quipped: "He's like my fourth child Peter Porro! I swear he's a kid that I need to look after, just keep him in there (signals to under his arm)."

Discussing the futures of Tottenham's bright young stars & whether they have a future at the club - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur-linked Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim has dissolved his company Nine Two UK Holdings Limited, which was once linked with his proposed buyout of Manchester United.

He was one of the front runners to take over at Old Trafford, prior to the Glazers striking a deal with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos for a minority share in the club last year.

Nine Two UK Holdings Limited was incorporated by the UK Government on June 15, 2023 has now ceased trading. Back in 2023, questions arose regarding the approval of the company, with some suggesting it could be an indicator of a United takeover decision in favour of his bid.

However, as the Manchester Evening News explained and history has since shown us, the two were not connected. The company was 'incorporated' on Companies House with Sheikh Jassim listed as one of the directors and an address on Norwich Street in London was listed as the foundation's UK residence.

Paperwork to register Nine Two Holdings Limited in the UK was filed two months before Sheikh Jassim's last two offers for United with the decision to register his foundation more in preparation to have formalities in place were he chosen to be the preferred candidate.

Although Ratcliffe and Ineos were chosen as the preferred candidate to take over at Old Trafford, the Qatari banker was still reportedly keen on a takeover at the club, before links with Tottenham Hotspur emerged.

"Sheikh Jassim is still a rich guy," an adviser told the Daily Mail last year. "He is still a United fan. He is not going to rush off and try another Premier League club.

"If the opportunity to buy the whole of Manchester United arose again at some point in the future it is hard to see there not being a big level of interest. The plans are still there."

It now appears as though Sheikh Jassim has given up hope of buying the club, with Nine Two Holdings Limited now dissolved, potentially paving way for a takeover at Spurs with the club looking for additional funding. The building, to which Nine Two UK Holdings Limited was registered, is owned by Macfarlanes.

On their website they state: "We are a unique firm. Our unrivalled blend of expertise, agility and culture means we have the flexibility to meet our clients’ most challenging demands and adapt to the changing world around us."

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Ben Davies will not be available for Tottenham's Premier League game against Manchester City on Wednesday evening. The experienced defender was not part of the Spurs squad for last Saturday's 4-1 win at Ipswich Town and he is unfortunately not in a position to return against Pep Guardiola's side.

As Tottenham do not have a game this Saturday due to their FA Cup exit against Aston Villa, Davies has plenty of time to fully recover ahead of the Europa League round of 16 first leg clash against AZ Alkmaar. Aside from Davies, Postecoglou has no fresh injury issues to report after their win at Ipswich.

“Good news, everyone who played (at Ipswich) got through really well," he said in an interview with Tottenham's official website. "It’s great that we could give guys like Madders and Pedro a bit of a rest and still be able to come on, and contribute, and get game time into Brennan and Destiny.

"They all came through really well. So, that means it will be a similar squad for tomorrow. We were hoping maybe Ben would be ready for this game, he won’t make it, but we’ve a seven-day break (after City), so, he’ll miss out.”

Pressed for updates on Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke and Richarlison, the Spurs boss has indicated that the quartet are "all tracking really well" and it could be in the "next seven to 10 days" when they return.

“They are all tracking really well, all similar times, hopefully in the next seven to 10 days," explained the 59-year-old. "A couple of them are already training but, over that period, we’ll start incorporating them back into matchday squads."

On possible returns for the players in question against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday, March 6, he added: “Yes, potentially. I’m not sure if they’ll participate in that, but the idea is that at least a couple of them should be back in training and available for that game.

"Obviously, we have to back that up on the weekend (after) against Bournemouth (March 9), so, with two games, I’m hoping if we can get a couple more back, it means again we can tackle those two games with a strong squad.”

Discussing the futures of Tottenham's bright young stars & whether they have a future at the club - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou is holding his press conference ahead of Tottenham's clash with Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday afternoon.

Spurs will enter the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hoping they've turned a corner with players returning from injury and back-to-back victories against Manchester United and Ipswich making it three wins on the trot in the league. Pep Guardiola's City side have had a tough week with defeats to Liverpool in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Postecoglou and his players will need to be wary of a backlash from City after those results, being fully aware of the quality the Manchester side possess. If they could win though then the north London outfit would have triumphed in all six games they have played against Manchester opposition his season.

From his side, the Australian will be hoping to continue to have more players back and available. The Spurs boss will deliver the latest news at Friday's press conference on Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and any fresh injuries that came out of Saturday's 4-1 victory at Portman Road.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou ahead of the game. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at Hotspur Way.