Man City vs Tottenham predicted line-ups: hosts change five including £100m winger drop as Spurs switch four

All the latest Man City team news, injury updates and predicted XI ahead of their Premier League game against Tottenham.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Manchester City will look to reclaim top spot in the Premier League this weekend, but face a tricky test against Ange Postecoglou's Spurs. The Cityzens were held to a draw last weekend against Liverpool. Spurs' stunning start to the season has been cut short by a number of injuries to the side, and their early season title charge took another hammer blow last weekend, as they sunk to a 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa. As things stand, Pep Guardiola's champions are in second, trailing current league leaders Arsenal by one point, while Spurs have slipped to fifth in the table following three defeats on the trot - however, the tightly packed nature of the upper half of the table means Postecoglou's men could to within touching distance of the table's summit with a big away win against last season's treble winners. Here is the latest team news, injury updates and predicted XIs for both sides, ahead of Sunday afternoon's blockbuster contest:

Man City team news and injury updates

The Cityzens rested a number of key players for their midweek clash against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, but still managed to come back from two goals down to earn a 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium. Man City's injury list centres, appropriately, around the central midfield area - Kevin de Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes are all still out with injury. Despite being short of the top quality trio, Guardiola still has a number of fine options at his disposal including Phillips, Rodri, Lewis and Stones. Other than the aforementioned midfield three, it's a clean bill of health for City. Goalkeeper and defence German stopper Stefan Ortega started in Tuesday's win over Leipzig, but Brazil star Ederson is expected to reclaim the gloves for Spurs' visit on Sunday. Guardiola shuffled his pack - as he is often prone to do, much to the chagrin of Fantasy Premier League managers - in midweek, but is expected to return some key players to the line-up this weekend. Kyle Walker looks set to start on the right side of defence, with Nathan Ake and Ruben Diaz in the middle. Josko Gvardiol looks the most likely candidate to complete the fluid back line. Midfield and attack England midfielder Kalvin Phillips' hopes of getting game time before Euro 2024 don't look set to receive a boost this weekend, but his fellow countryman John Stones could be recalled to partner Rodri in the heart of midfield. City face a real headache - albeit an ice cream headache rather than a full blown migraine - over who to select on the left wing, but Jeremy Doku's fine form in the league should see him just edge out Jack Grealish. Elsewhere across City's star-studded front line expect to see World Cup winner Julian Alvarez, as well as the ever dependable Bernardo Silva. Leading the line? Silly question: it's going to be the ravenous goal guzzling machine Erling Haaland. Man City predicted XI: Ederson; Gvardiol, Dias, Ake, Walker; Rodri, Stones; Alvarez, Silva, Grealish, Haaland.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Spurs team news and injury updates

Having had their back line ripped to shreds with an untimely combination of suspensions and injuries, Spurs will continue to suffer without the return of Cristian Romero on Sunday. His partner Micky van de Ven won't be involved either, as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury suffered in last month's 4-1 home defeat to Chelsea. Elsewhere, star summer signing James Maddison remains on the treatment table, jostling for space with Rodrigo Bentancur and Brazilian forward Richarlison. The good news from a Spurs point of view, however, is that Yves Bissouma will return suspension. However, Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon are all set to be out of action for some time.

Goalkeeper and defence Despite looking a tad shaky in pre-season, summer signing Guglielmo Vicario has looked an excellent acquisition for Spurs, and will keep his spot between the sticks on Sunday. Ben Davies looks the most likely to pair up with Emerson Royal, as they prepare to daunting task of keeping out a rampant City front line. No changes are expected in the full-back areas, with dynamic duo Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie set to reprise their roles. Midfield and attack Spurs are likely to pack their midfield to the rafters against the Citizens, with Bissouma set to be joined by Giovani Lo Celso. The game comes too soon for Pape Matar Sarr, who also missed the fateful clash against Aston Villa last weekend. Completing a midfield three so gritty it could make the frozen roads of Braemar vehicle worthy, is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Adding some attacking dynamism to the starting line-up, Dejan Kulusevski and summer signing Brennan Johnson look likely to be involved from the start, flanking South Korean sensation Son Heung-min, who suffered the indignity of scoring a hat-trick of offside goals against Villa. Tottenham predicted XI: Vicario; Udogie, Davies, Royal, Porro; Lo Celso, Bissouma, Hojbjerg; Kulusevski, Johnson, Son.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.