It will be intriguing to see if Manchester City’s deadline day signing at center back, Manuel Akanji, starts on Saturday. The former Borussia Dortmund man has a golden opportunity here, given the injury crisis in the back line right now at City.
While Pep Guardiola may have a shortage of options when selecting his lineup of defenders, he still has a lot to choose from in midfield and attack. Let’s run through it all right now. Time to predict the MCI team sheet for MCITOT, the biggest EPL clash of the weekend.
Tottenham at Manchester City FYIs
Kick Off: Saturday, September 10 at 5:30 pm, Etihad Stadium
Man City Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Tottenham Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
After Extra Time Pod: Spotify Apple
Google Result Probability: Manchester City 70% Draw 17% Tottenham 13%
PL Position, Form Guide: Man City 2nd, 14pts WDWWD Spurs 3rd, 14pts DWWDW
Man City Starting XI Prediction vs Tottenham Hotspur
Ederson; Cancelo, Akanji, Dias, Gomez; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Bernardo, Haaland, Foden
Prediction: Man City 2, Tottenham Hotspur 2
We said in the summer time that a Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland partnership would be epic, and thus far it certainly has. But look for the Tottenham attack to match City’s and we’ll end up all level.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.