Erling Haaland has now gone three games without a goal across all competitions. For a scoring machine like him, this qualifies as a “drought.” Still on pace to make history, we knew the big Norwegian would come back to Earth at some point, or we’d have a football version of what they call in stock market parlance, “a correction.”
Remember, the pace Haaland was on before the World Cup was other-worldy, it was like a football version of New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s 2022 season, but even more elite and astronomical. Perhaps the Nordic Meat Shield will get back among the goals against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday? For now, Kevin de Bruyne is kind of carrying this team.
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
Spurs are not in good form right now, so City are kind of catching them at the perfect time. Let’s take a look at what kind of lineup Pep Guardiola will go with as he seeks to a.) accrue three more points and b.) add to Spurs misery.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs Tottenham Hotspur
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Grealish, Haaland, Alvarez
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.