The only all-big six clash in week two of the Premier League features Tottenham Hotspur visiting Manchester City, in a rematch of last season’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie. Let’s take a look at all the requisite information and other assorted FYIs for this crunch clash.
City manager Pep Guardiola determined that Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero were all match fit enough to make the opening day team as substitutes, and each member of that trio could be in contention to start on Saturday. Meanwhile German winger Leroy Sane is out until the mid-winter with a cruciate ligament injury suffered in the Community Shield.
Link to Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction, Team News
Elsewhere Benjamin Mendy remains a long-term absentee while very late transfer window signing Joao Cancelo is still working on getting re-integrated into the team. The man that he was acquired to replace in the long term, Fernandinho, was omitted from the season opening squad, but might feature in this one.
The opening weekend saw the Sky Blues rout West Ham 5-0, and with that begin the new season exactly where they left off last season- at the top of the table all by themselves.
Right now, the blue side of Manchester looks like an unstoppable juggernaut.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction
Raheem Sterling Sergio Aguero Bernardo Silva
Kevin De Bruyne Rodri David Silva
Joao Cancelo John Stones Nicolas Otamendi Oleksandr Zinchenko
Ederson
Pep Guardiola Friday News Conference Video: coming tomorrow
Kickoff: Saturday, August 17, 5:30 pm, City of Manchester Stadium
Google Result Probability: Manchester City win 71%, Draw 18%, Tottenham Hotspur win 11%
Score prediction: Manchester City 2, Tottenham Hotspur 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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