Manchester City's Premier League title chances face tricky test with visit to Tottenham Hotspur
City are seven points behind Arsenal and need three points to stay within striking distance
By
Chuck Booth
•
1 min read
If Manchester City want to get on a run and look to close the gap at the top of the Premier League table, they'll need to do something that has been quite tough for Pep Guardiola during his time at the club -- get past Tottenham. He has struggled facing the North London side, losing three of his last five meetings with them. In August, Tottenham won the reverse fixture 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium, and now City will need to go away from home with the task of picking up all three points.
How to watch Tottenham vs. Manchester City, odds
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 1 | Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium -- London
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Tottenham +350; Draw +310; Manchester City -143
On paper, it should seem easy to defeat a team placed 14th in the league, but Tottenham have defied logic all season. Securing a top four finish in Champions League play, they're able to avoid the knockout phase, where Manchester City will have to subject themselves to extra games and minutes on players' legs. It's all part of Spurs' strange existence this campaign.
Every week, it seems like they could be moving onto a new manager, and then you blink, and they've advanced further into Europe while also losing in the Premier League. But then it's also an improvement on last season, when Tottenham won the Europa League while finishing 17th in league play. They'll be without Pedro Porro for this match, which adds to their struggles, while City's defense will be in a better place with Marc Guehi potentially in the XI.
After Erling Haaland ended his scoring drought in the Champions League, Tottenham will need to keep a close eye on him as he can turn an inch into a goal. City will make it tough to score as only Arsenal have conceded more than their 21 goals, but historically, trends haven't mattered here.
Seven points separate City from Arsenal, and a win would close that gap to four. The league isn't in Guardiola's control, but with a matchup with Arsenal looming, they can up the pressure and see what happens. It all starts with getting past Tottenham, but any loss at this juncture can put their league chances in serious jeopardy.
