What: English Premier League
Who: Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
When: Sunday 22nd January, 2012, at 13:30 UK time
Where: Eastlands, Manchester, England
Start of Something New
Following defeats to English giants Manchester United and Liverpool, league leaders Manchester City put their foot in the correct direction with a win against Wigan Athletic on Monday night, even though victory itself was accomplished by a slim margin. Now, against a serious team of Tottenham’s size, Roberto Mancini and his men will want to grab hold of their Premier League destiny and continue leading the pack.
Just when the Manchester duo had pronounced themselves as the only legitimate title contenders, Spurs came back from behind to impose themselves in a surge for the Premier League crown. However, Citizen defender Joleon Lescott has dismissed their visitors’ threat ahead of this encounter, singling out neighbours United as their only viable threat.
“Beating Spurs would open up a big gap between us and them. No disrespect to Spurs but we see Manchester United as our main rivals because they’re second in the league", said the former Everton man. "We need to focus on the next team behind us and at this moment in time that’s United. As much as the points are vital to create a gap between us and Spurs, it’s more important to pull away from Manchester United.”
Journey Starts Now
Five points away from leaders and weekend foes Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur hold a golden opportunity to slash this margin when they travel north to Eastlands. Their real work begins against the current FA Cup holders, and while a potential win would all but consolidate their stance as real challengers, a loss would effectively write off their chances of beating both Manchester sides in the race for the title.
A win against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend would have reduced the gap between the two competing sides to just three points, but a 1-1 draw was all Harry Redknapp’s men could manage. Midfielder Scott Parker however is still sure Spurs will be up for this clash. “It is a very big game for us. It’s a big game for Manchester City and I suppose in the Premier League every game is big. Sunday is certainly going to be that", he said.
Spurs have a big question mark over Ledley King’s participation in this clash and the defensive rock will be sorely missed if he cannot take to the Eastlands pitch.
Recent form
Manchester City:
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (08/01; FA Cup)
Manchester City 0-1 Liverpool (11/01; League Cup)
Wigan Athletic 0-1 Manchester City (16/01; Premier League)
Tottenham Hotspur:
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Cheltenham (07/01; FA Cup)
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Everton (11/01; Premier League)
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (14/01; Premier League)
Key absences
Manchester City: Vincent Kompany (suspended); Yaya Toure (international duty); Kolo Toure (international duty)
Tottenham Hotspur: Vedran Corluka; William Gallas; Ledley King (doubt); Tom Huddlestone
Players to watch
Manchester City – Edin Dzeko: The Bosnian is finally showing his true colours at Manchester City after his multi-million move from Wolfsburg. Dzeko has developed a knack of being at the right place at the right time, showing his predator-like ability in the box. He could pose a huge threat to Spurs here.
Tottenham Hotspur – Gareth Bale: One of the world’s most lethal wingers, the Welshman’s abilities could cause mayhem in the Manchester City half should he be given license to roam freely.
Match Prediction
The game itself could not have come at a better time for Spurs, who want to capitalise on Manchester City’s bad luck against Manchester United and Liverpool recently. Expect the Citizens to improve however and a draw could be the likely outcome. Manchester City 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur could be a superb game and is full of betting opportunities. Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
