Focus Fixture: Can Manchester City overcome Tottenham Hotspur Stadium curse

Manchester City’s trip to Tottenham is the highlight of the FA Cup weekend. Pep Guardiola’s side need to end their unwanted record at the London Stadium to have any hope of retaining the trophy this season. Both of these sides have had two weeks to prepare so we should see an enthralling clash.

The Form

Tottenham led the way in the Premier League until their poor run of form in November. Ange Postecoglou made an immediate impact at the club and managed to impose his style of play from the off. There is a sense of optimism around the club which has been absent in recent years but there is still plenty of work to be done.

Injuries have been a huge factor in Tottenham dropping outside of the top four in the Premier League but players are starting to return. James Maddison has been a huge miss in the attacking third and remains sidelined. Heung-min Son is competing at the Asian Cup so Postecoglou will be relying on an in-form Richarlison.

Spurs are three points behind the Champions League places in the table. They will be hoping this clash with City signals the start of a fantastic second half of the season as they look to build on what he has achieved thus far. Silverware or a top-four finish would be seen as a huge success.

Manchester City have to deal with the burden of expectation in every match. Pep’s men are expected to win every competition once again but the first half of the season hasn’t been without its hiccups. City surrendered top spot in the league as they went on a run of four matches without a win that started in November.

During that run, they had to settle for a 3-3 draw at home to Tottenham. City were the aggressor in that clash but came unstuck defensively. Spurs have been Pep’s bogey side in recent years. City have won just one of the last five head-to-heads between the sides. The more remarkable stat is that Tottenham have won all five matches against English football’s dominant force at their new stadium without conceding. The first of those wins came as Spurs dumped City out of the Champions League.

The Runners and the Riders

As previously mentioned, Tottenham have had to contend with a wealth of injuries this season. Giovani Lo Celso, Ben Davies and Alejo Veliz are all injured here. Dejan Kulsevski, the man who scored Tottenham’s equaliser at the Etihad earlier this season, also faces a late fitness test. Son, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are on international duty. James Maddison has returned to training but is unlikely to feature so soon.

Manchester City saw Kevin De Bruyne return to the team in their last match. Erling Haaland is also nearing a return but this fixture might come too soon. Ederson is also a doubt. John Stones and Manual Akanji are injured.

What They Said

The big news for Tottenham is that Maddison has returned to training. The former Leicester midfielder was in fine form until he picked up an injury in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea. Earlier in the season, The Athletic highlighted his enthusiasm to play for Spurs with him set to return soon. They said: “What stood out to Spurs’ newly-hired manager in that conversation was Maddison’s desire, specifically to play for his new Tottenham side, and to be its creative director. Postecoglou could hear that hunger in his voice.”

Manchester City have faced increased scrutiny with Everton and Nottingham Forest awaiting sanctions for financial breaches. Jamie Carragher claimed that City aren’t helping themselves by saying "Manchester City can fix this straight away. If you were in their position, and you’ve got something over you, you want to clear your name. The fact that they are dragging this on makes it worse”. The focus for Guardiola is on the pitch and he is delighted with how his team have kept their foot on the gas after winning the treble.

Tip

Our first tip for Tottenham vs Manchester City is for both teams to score and for there to be at least three goals in the match. Spurs have kept things tight in their recent matches at home to City but Postecoglou’s commitment to attacking football, coupled with City’s scoring form should mean we see a glut of goals.

Manchester City are averaging 2.7 goals across their last 10 matches in all competitions. They played Newcastle away in their last match and the net was found on five occasions.

Tottenham have scored in all 11 of their home matches in all competitions this season. They are averaging 1.91 goals at the London Stadium but are also conceding 1.18 per game. This bet has won in six of their last seven home matches. The 1-0 win over Burnley in the last round was the Tottenham home match with the fewest goals.

There were big chances at both ends of the pitch when these sides locked horns earlier this season. Tottenham were incisive on the break but showcased vulnerabilities of their own. Let’s hope for another shootout here.

Recommended Bet: Both Teams To Score & Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.82

Bet Builder Tip

Our longshot bet builder for this clash is also siding with goals. I’m banking on Manchester City to end their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium curse and come out on top in an exciting affair.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won their last five away matches in all competitions if we include the game against Urawa Red Diamonds at a neutral venue. Urawa were the only side who failed to score against City in that run so Pep may have to rely on his attack to get them through here.

Tottenham have scored in all 23 of their matches in the 2023/24 season so it’s difficult to see them drawing a blank here. 

Richarlison has hit a purple patch and his form has been key in Tottenham rediscovering their best form. The Brazilian is finally showing what he is capable of in a Spurs shirt and has managed to score six goals in his last seven appearances. He came off the bench when these sides met earlier in the season but should start as his team’s central striker on Friday night.

Our final betting angle is for there to be over 9.5 corners in the match. Tottenham matches this season have seen an average of 12.3 per game. There have been at least 10 corners on the last three occasions they have hosted Manchester City.

The Citizens’ away matches have seen an average of 10.13 corners per game. That’s cutting it fine for this bet but there were a whopping 18 corners when these sides met earlier in the season.

Recommended Bet Builder: Manchester City To Win & Both Teams To Score, Richarlison To Score & Over 9.5 Corners In The Match @ 13.00