Manchester City will look to extend their lead at the top of the table when Tottenham Hotspur come calling at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It is not going to be an easy task by any means considering some of their most influential players are absent.
Tottenham will look to take full advantage of City’s handicap following the departures of Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure to the African Cup of Nations. But even without the Toure brothers, City have enough quality in their lineup to blast Tottenham away.
Manchester City are unbeaten in the Premier League this season at the Etihad stadium and they will look to keep it that way when the Londoners come calling. Both teams are oozing in quality footballers and especially attackers.
I am relishing the prospect of a match where the likes of David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko will be up against Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, and Rafael van der Vaart. This is going to be a cracking contest and I expect Tottenham to come out on top this time around – although just narrowly.
As we take a look at team news from both camps, Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City will be missing the Toure brothers while Gael Clichy is still out with an ankle problem. Joe Hart will definitely start at goal with Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott in the center of defense. Savic may also get the nod ahead of either of the two central defenders. Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta should get to start on the full-back slots based on current form. Nigel De Jong and James Milner are favorites for the two midfield berths with David Silva and Samir Nasri on the wings. Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero are to start in front.
Tottenham on the other hand have no injury worries at all except for Ledley King, who may or may not start for the Londoners. Brad Friedel will start ahead of Brazilian goalkeeper Gomez in goal with Kyle Walker, William Gallas, Michael Dawson, and Benoit Assou-Ekotto forming the defensive line.
Scot Parker will play in the role of defensive midfielder while Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart play in attacking positions in the middle of the park. Gareth Bale will start on the left wing with Aaron Lennon on the right. Emanuel Adebayor may or may not start depending on the status of his loan deal. If he is unavailable, either of Roman Pavlyuchenko or Jermain Defoe will start up-front.