Manchester City v Tottenham Match Result
Manchester City have a roughly 70% chance of landing a success in this Saturday lunchtime game according to the betting odds. They are sure to be a popular accumulator pick for the weekend, with Pep Guardiola’s side having brushed Wolverhampton Wanderers aside in their opening game of the season. Erling Haaland was able to bag a brace as part of a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
Interestingly, City only had four shots on target at Molineux and perhaps they won’t be as prolific against a Tottenham side who are tough opponents. The home side were denied a victory in six of their Etihad encounters last term and they were handed a 4-0 defeat by Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs side along the way, with Thomas Frank now looking to engineer a similar victory.
On the flip side, Tottenham suffered twelve defeats away from home last season although some of those losses can be discounted on the basis that the London side were gearing up for the Europa League final. It’s also interesting to note that they managed to bag twenty-nine goals on the road despite all those defeats, so they will surely offer an attacking threat here.
It might be prudent to back Tottenham on the Asian Handicap with some kind of start such as one goal or 1.5 goals. They were noticeably strong against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup when racing into a 2-0 lead only to get pegged back late in the game. However, they demonstrated enough to be a lively threat here.
A draw would be a welcome outcome for Spurs and perhaps that is where the value lies. Much depends on how well Rodrigo Bentacur and Pape Matar Sarr can cope with the opposition midfield, with the visitors aiming to keep their opponents quiet and avoid an early goal being conceded.
Goals Under/Over
There’s a 66% chance of Over 2.5 Goals being scored in the eyes of the layers. It’s easy to see the net bulging a few times at the Etihad Stadium although the previous clash only featured one goal. That was in a clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in February where an early Erling Haaland goal was the only time that the net was found in the game.
Previously in November, Spurs scored four unanswered goals which really highlighted City’s shortcomings last term. However, we might assume that there’s going to be a counter-attacking element to the visitors’ play, with Thomas Frank deploying Kevin Danso in central defence alongside Micky Van de Ven and Eduardo Romero.
That was the strategy in place against PSG in the Super Cup, with Pedro Porro and Djed Spence operating as the wing-backs. We do think that Under 2.5 Goals probably represents value even if it’s the least likely outcome in the game.
BTTS
There’s a 62% chance of both teams scoring according to the bookmakers. However, only one of the previous five head-to-head encounters has seen both teams find the net. In the three matches last season, it was only a 2-1 Carabao Cup triumph at the end of October where we saw the net bulge at both ends. In both Premier League encounters, BTTS No was the outcome and there were two Manchester City wins to nil in the previous season.
On the basis that Frank deploys a pragmatic approach, we might not see both teams finding the net and that could lend itself well to a Manchester City win along with BTTS No. We do think that BTTS Yes could end up being the end result, even if a Tottenham effort serves as a consolation. A 2-1 winning scoreline for the home side could be along the right lines.
The fact that City were so efficient with their shots on target and goal return last time out means that they can be expected to rack up a goal or two here. However, we don’t have a strong opinion and it’s firstly worth waiting to see how the visitors line up. They certainly won’t be as attacking as the strategy that was deployed against Burnley.
First Goalscorer
According to the First Goalscorer betting odds, there’s a 28% chance that Erling Haaland will score the opening goal of this game. That is a high percentage although the Premier League marksman is on penalties for Manchester City and will clearly be targeted by the attacking midfielders who will be playing in support of the Norwegian.
There’s a reasonable chance that Haaland will be snuffed out considering the possibility of Romero, Danso and Van de Ven all playing in central defence. That could lead to gaps being available for other players to exploit. Omar Marmoush might earn a start and it’s hard to get away from the threat that will be offered by Tijjani Reijnders. The Dutchman was off the mark when scoring at Molineux and producing a bright performance.
Thomas Frank needs to decide whether to operate with Dominic Solanke in attack or instead go for Richarlison instead. The latter was on target with a brace against Burnley and the Brazilian’s trickery could cause problems. We also think Pedro Porro could be a good outside pick considering he’s on free-kick duties in the absence of James Maddison.