EPL: Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur - 3 things to watch out for

Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur in a crucial Premier League match at the Etihad stadium tomorrow. This is going to be the second match between those two sides in three days, after Tottenham managed to qualify for the semifinal of UEFA Champions League at City’s expense.

City beat Tottenham 4-3 but lost on the away goal rule, as Spurs made it to the Champions League semis for the first time. However, their clash on Saturday is going to be almost equally important, as City would be desperate for three points in that match in order to keep the pressure on Liverpool.

Liverpool are leading the league table with 85 points from 34 matches, whereas City have 83 from 33. A win tomorrow would take City to the top of the table again. Tottenham, with 67 points from 34 matches, would also like to get at least a point from tomorrow’s match in order to keep their hopes of a top four finish alive.

We would now take a look at the 3 crucial factors to watch out for in tomorrow’s match:

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#1 Pep might drop Laporte, but De Bruyne should start

Kevin De Bruyne

Aymeric Laporte has been one of the best defenders of the Premier League this season, but his errors in the Champions League quarter final second leg helped Tottenham a great deal. He lost the ball on two occasions on Wednesday night, and Tottenham scored on both of them. It was an unusually bad outing for the French defender, who has otherwise been consistently good.

Laporte might not start tomorrow for City, as Pep Guardiola might opt for either John Stones or Nicolas Otamendi in his starting line-up.

On the other hand, Kevin De Bruyne, who has missed a considerable part of the season because of injuries, should start again after an excellent performance on Wednesday. He registered a couple of assists on Wednesday night, and should again be most potent creative weapon in City’s team.

#2 Son-Heung-Min’s shooting might come in handy again

Son Heung Min

Son Heung-Ming scored three goals over two legs against City, and might again be the key man for Tottenham. Son is so prolific because of his quick shooting, as he gave the City defenders almost no time to block his shots.

Son has the knack of being in goal-scoring positions time and time again, and has scored 20 goals in 41 matches so far this season. He is leading Tottneham’s attack in Harry Kane’s absence, and should fancy his chances of scoring again tomorrow. The City defenders should, however be wary of the threat posed by Son.

An ageing centre-back like Vincent Kompany might not want to face a fast striker like Son, and Mauricio Pochettino would bank a lot on the South Korean. Son’s shooting prowess is likely to test Ederson yet again, as Spurs supporters would be praying for yet another stupendous performance from him.

#3 Llorente’s aerial prowess and Sterling’s finishing might make the difference

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling scored a brace for City on Wednesday night, and already has 23 goals in 45 matches this season. He showed his class and opportunism by delivering yet another brilliant performance for City.

The 24 year old footballer is having the best season of his career, and might increase his tally of goals with his agility and astute positioning tomorrow. Guardiola would again be depending upon Sterling heavily to score goals and help secure three points for his side.

A lot of attention would also be on Fernando Llorente too, as the 34 year old Spaniard scored the decisive goal on Wednesday from a corner kick. He remains an experienced striker, who has notched up 196 goals in his club career so far.

Llorente’s height would make him a difficult proposition to handle at set-pieces, and the City defence might have some problems dealing with that.