Maybe Manchester City won’t retain their Premier League title this season after all? As the Saturday derby showed us, they have much more to contend with, than just Arsenal, when it comes to the top of the table position. Manchester United are in it to win it, and Newcastle United don’t seem to be going anywhere.
One side they won’t have to worry about, most likely, is Tottenham Hotspur, who they welcome in on Thursday, for a rescheduled league fixture. At this point, Spurs are fighting just to make the top four.
Tottenham at Manchester City FYIs
Kick Off: Thursday, January at 8pm, Etihad Stadium
Man City Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Tottenham Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Manchester City 71% Draw 17% Tottenham 12%
PL Position, Form Guide: Man City 2nd, 39pts LWDWL Spurs 5th, 33pts LWLDW
Pep Guardiola was without his top two center backs, John Stones and Ruben Dias, for the Manchester Derby loss. He’s going to be sans the pair again, although he did say that Dias is moving closer to recovery from his thigh/hamstring problem. Stones is closer to match fitness, but he won’t be ready in time for this one either.
Also, ICYMI, Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty on six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Majority verdicts on one count of rape and one count of attempted rape could not be reached, and now Mendy will face a retrial on those two counts. So while he did achieve a victory in court, it does not mean Mendy is “cleared” by any means. He obviously won’t be reinstated to the team any time soon either, despite this development.
Last thing I’ll say on this- when you see his name trending on Twitter, you might want to avoid to clicking on that. Or if you, be prepared for what you are going to see, because some of it is indeed the worst that humanity has to offer.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.