Premier League preview : Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

The last time these two sides met back in November, Manchester City came from a goal down to win 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, with Edin Dzeko coming on to score his season-trademark late goal to seal the game. Much has changed between now and then. City have all but lost the title, and have the FA Cup final against Wigan in a month. Meanwhile, Tottenham have lost their only chance of silverware after the Europa League defeat to Basel, and their sole aim of the season is to finish in the top 4.

Manchester City enter this game on a good run of form, having won five of their last six Premier League games, including contests against Chelsea and Manchester United. Then find themselves in 2nd position with 68 points, 13 points behind Manchester United, albeit with a game in hand, and seven ahead of Chelsea, who are in 3rd position. The players seem to have finally hit the stride which won them the league last year, albeit at a very late stage. Sergio Aguero is scoring goals regularly again, though his season has been hampered by injury. Yaya Toure has returned to that tank-like ability of old, where he just barges through defences as though they were paper. And the great French mystery that is Samir Nasri has found form again. Though Roberto Mancini has admitted defeat in the title race, he will be silently optimistic and will be hoping that United slip up against a resurgent Aston Villa, as they did against West Ham. After the Tottenham game, City have an easy run-in, and will hope to secure maximum points in the expectation that Manchester United’s mediocre performances finally reflect on the scorelines. But at the same time, City will keep their upcoming Cup final in mind, and, as against Wigan on Wednesday, Mancini will rest a few of his regularly-used players like Clichy, Zabaleta, Barry and Silva over the course of the remaining games. However, expect City to play a full-strength side against Tottenham. Silva and Aguero are doubtful after being out with hamstring injuries, while Maicon and Jack Rodwell are still struggling for match fitness and no one knows if they’ll see the light of the football pitch again this season.

Tottenham are in need of points more urgently than City, and expect Villas-Boas’ side to give it their all in the hopes of a Champions League finish. They go into the game at 5th position with 58 points, two behind fourth-placed Arsenal, but with a game in hand. They would have a one-point lead over their North London rivals if they manage to win the game. Spurs’ desire to compete in the top tier of European competition stems from more than just the pursuit of prestige. Their hopes of holding on to their best players (read Gareth Bale) hangs from a thread, and another year in the Europa League would surely see Bale on his way to pastures greener than White Hart Lane. However, Villas-Boas has a few injury concerns of his own as Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe all face the need to go through a late fitness test. Given that the three have been Tottenham’s most influential offensive players over the season, expect them to wave their chances in this game goodbye if they fail to make it to the teamsheet. In their absence, expect Clint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurdsson to line up on the wings alongside Lewis Holtby, who should line up behind Emmanuel Adebayor, who faces his old club for the second time since his summer transfer.

The last three games between these sides have culminated in fourteen goals – ten to City and four to Spurs – so expect another exciting match in which both sides “let slip the dogs of war”.

Prediction : Tottenham Hotspur 1 – Manchester City 2