Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad on Saturday, 21 January, as Pep Guardiola's men look to crawl their way back into title contention after being thumped 4-0 by Everton in their last game.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 5.30pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD.

Overview

Guardiola has found the Premier League a difficult nut to crack on his first season in England, having been handed the biggest defeat of his career at the Goodison Park last weekend. They were second best all over the pitch as Ronald Koeman's men ran the rule over City, who are currently ten points adrift of leaders Chelsea in the race for the title.

A loss here will end whatever slim chance they have of making a comeback. Fernandinho is currently out serving a suspension while Leroy Sane is still recovering from an injury. However, all eyes will be on Gabriel Jesus, who is likely to make his first appearance in a City shirt since moving to the club this January. Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany is pushing for his latest return to first team action after yet another setback.

Tottenham will be without Jan Vertonghen, who is out with an ankle injury and will be unavailable for the better part of the next two months. The defender formed an astute partnership with Toby Alderweireld, and manager Mauricio Pochettino is likely to go back to a back four with Eric Dier partnering the Belgian.

The north London club have won their last six games in the league, with their last defeat coming at the hands of Manchester United in December. Should they win against City, it will be the first time in 50 years that they have won seven in a row, which includes a brilliant win over Chelsea since the turn of the year. Riding on Dele Alli and Harry Kane's good form, they are capable of beating any team on their day.

Manchester CIty
Manchester City have to get back in their groove Getty

What Managers Say

Pep Guardiola: "They are a good team, [and have been for] three or two years in a row. They are really playing good. As a fan of football, I love to see them. We have already said goodbye to the title. It is not going to depend on what happens tomorrow. We accept it. It is part of our job - the manager's job, the players' job - so accept it. We will be stronger in front, be stronger in back. We when are stronger at the back, we will be stronger in front." (via Standard)

Mauricio Pochettino: "[In Spain] the gap was massive, massive. Now, historically Tottenham is bigger than Manchester City. The fans are bigger at Tottenham. You can compare in Spain. Between Espanyol and Barcelona, you can measure the gap. Here, it's too difficult to measure the gap. It's a completely different world. It means nothing for City to lose to Everton. It does not change my admiration or my thoughts about him. Sometimes you can win, you can lose. That is the game, He needs time. He's in a position that is still that they can win titles. And he only has to wait. He doesn't need to show his quality, his real quality as a coach and how he manages the team. He's shown enough at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Sometimes it's about managing expectations. You cannot win titles after a few months. You need to wait until the end. And I'm sure Guardiola will fight with Manchester City at the end for big things." (via Goal)

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • Manchester City win: 6/5
  • Draw: 5/2
  • Tottenham win: 5/2

Team News

Manchester City

Possible XI: Bravo; Sagna, Otamendi, Stones, Kolarov; Zabaleta, Toure, Sane, Silva, De Bruyne; Aguero

Tottenham

Possible XI: Lloris; Dier, Alderweireld, Wimmer; Walker, Wanyama, Dembele, Rose; Eriksen, Alli; Kane

Manchester City FC Tottenham Hotspur FC Premier League