Manchester City welcome Tottenham to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon as they look to return to winning ways.
Pep Guardiola’s side have drawn their last two games 1-1 and have therefore allowed Arsenal to take top spot in the Premier League.
After yet another win in Europe in midweek, they’ll be aiming to transfer that result into domestic football and claim three points against Spurs.
That task seemed a lot harder a few weeks ago when Ange Postecoglou’s men were top and unbeaten after 10 games.
However, they have now lost three consecutive matches, with their most recent defeat to Aston Villa seeing them drop out of the top four.
Man City vs Tottenham: Party’s over for Postecoglou
Things have drastically changed for Tottenham in recent weeks.
Postecoglou had won three straight Manager of the Month awards as Spurs made their best-ever start to a Premier League season.
However, he is now on the brink of setting an unwanted record after losing three top-flight games on the spin.
Tottenham haven’t had a longer losing run since losing six in a row, with Jacques Santini and Martin Jol taking charge of three games each in that streak.
Should they lose to City, Postecoglou will become the first manager to taste four consecutive defeats since David Pleat in 2004.
Spurs have plummeted down the table
- Since Pep Guardiola joined the club in 2016, Man City have lost more Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur than they have against any other opponent (6), while against no side have they conceded more goals (19, level with Liverpool).
- Tottenham have won five of their last seven Premier League games against Man City (L2), more than they had in their previous 19 against them (W4 D3 L12).
Man City vs Tottenham: Team news
John Stones could be handed a start for City after being named on the bench in the last two games following his recovery.
Mateo Kovacic is also set to be a part of the squad.
However, Matheus Nunes is expected to remain sidelined along with Kevin De Bruyne who is eyeing a comeback in the new year.
Jeremy Doku and Julian Alvarez were both rested against RB Leipzig as they started on the bench, meaning they are likely to be back in the line-up this weekend.
As for Tottenham, Yves Bissouma will return in midfield but Cristian Romero remains out as he serves the final game of his suspension.
James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Richarlison all remain out with long-term injuries while Pape Matar Sarr is a doubt after missing the last game.
In that game against Aston Villa, Rodrigo Bentancur made his first start of the season, however, he picked up another injury.
And the midfielder will now be out for another few months after suffering ankle ligament damage.
- Manchester City have failed to win in four of their last seven Premier League games (W3 D2 L2), as many as in their previous 26 games beforehand (W22 D2 L2).
- Man City have lost just two of their last 13 Premier League home games against Tottenham (W9 D2), going down 2-1 in February 2016 and 3-2 in February 2022.
Man City vs Tottenham: What has been said?
Guardiola has spoken very highly of Postecoglou despite Tottenham’s poor form at the moment.
The Man City boss said: “I’m impressed at what they [Spurs] do and the chances they create. Aggressive in all departments.
“He [Postecoglou] came here and you recognise perfectly his team.
“Every team plays for the desire of the manager, what he’s done in Japan and Glasgow with Celtic and now.
“He makes football a better place, people like Ange.”
Pep is a big fan of Postecoglou’s footballGetty
- Erling Haaland netted his 50th Premier League goal in Man City’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool last time out, doing so in the fewest appearances of any player to reach that milestone (48 games). He’s never ended on the losing side in a game he’s scored in (P32 W27 D5), with only four players in Premier League history scoring in more without losing.
Man City vs Tottenham: How to follow
This Premier League clash will take place on Sunday, December 3.
Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium is scheduled for 4:30pm.
The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
talkSPORT will keep you up to date on the Sunday Session with Adrian Durham.
talkSPORT.com will also be running a live blog of all the action.
