Treble winners Manchester City have won their last six matches and look primed to go on a charge in the second half of the season, but they may not be enamoured by the prospect of a trip to Tottenham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday.
The champions have lost their last five trips to N17, but after a thrilling 3-3 draw against Spurs at the Etihad in the league this season, this looks like a match that is unlikely to disappoint, with the hosts also confident with one defeat in their last seven games.
Team news
Tottenham will be without Heung-min Son, who is at the Asian Cup, and Africa Cup of Nations participants Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr.
Dejan Kulusevski could be available after a virus, but Giovani Lo Celso and Ben Davies are ruled out. James Maddison is back in training after a three-month absence and may be fit enough for a spot on the bench.
City goalkeeper Ederson is unlikely to feature after a knee injury, and striker Erling Haaland is still out with a foot problem. Defenders John Stones and Manuel Akanji are both expected to miss out.
The stats
Both teams have scored in 11 of Tottenham’s last 13 matches, while five of Spurs’ previous nine games have featured at least four goals.
Manchester City have won their last six matches, but they have not kept a clean sheet in their previous five games against Spurs.
Tottenham will be expected to make a fast start, having scored the first goal in their last nine home outings.
Prediction
There is little doubt that the tie of the FA Cup fourth round is holders Manchester City’s trip to Tottenham, and it seems unlikely that the game is going to disappoint.
While Pep Guardiola’s treble winners are still off the pace in the Premier League title race, they have won their last six matches and done that without goal machine Haaland, who has been nursing a foot injury.
Kevin De Bruyne’s return from injury has been a boost after the Belgian hardly featured in the opening half of the season, but Guardiola will be mindful that his team have lost on each of their five visits to Tottenham since the stadium was redeveloped.
There were fewer than three goals on each of those occasions, but Friday’s meeting should be a lot more like the 3-3 draw Tottenham earned at the Etihad in the league in December.
Spurs are a lot more expansive under Ange Postecoglou and are likely to take the game to City, which should inevitably lead to chances at both ends, so with five of Tottenham’s last nine games featuring at least four goals, there is a strong chance that this meeting will too.