Manchester City News

Manchester City will be back in action this weekend following the latest international break.

Specifically, City will be taking on Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Prior to the November international break, Pep Guardiola saw his side lose four games in a row, which is something that one of his teams had never done before.

In fact, Guardiola admitted that City needed the break after losing 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion.

With the Blues now having the chance to get their season back on track and put their poor run of form behind them, a pundit has shared his early prediction for what is a crucial game for the Manchester club.

Paul Merson drops prediction for Man City vs Tottenham Hotspur

In his latest column for Sportskeeda where he previewed and predicted the results for all of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, Paul Merson gave this assessment of City’s upcoming match against Spurs.

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He said: “If someone would have said to me at the start of the season that Manchester City would lose four games in a row, I would have said never in a million years! Yet, here we are.

“It doesn’t get any easier for them this weekend, Tottenham are a tough opponent. But then again, Tottenham are Spursy. Who would have thought they would get beat by Ipswich?

“Still, it wouldn’t shock me if Spurs get a result here simply because Manchester City have not been Manchester City for a while now.

“Since the draw against Newcastle, barring the wins over Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague, City have not wiped the floor with anyone like we are used to seeing.

“I just can’t imagine them losing five in a row, that’s why I’m going for a City win here. But I can assure you it won’t be an easy win.

“Tottenham have history of getting results against City, it goes back a long time. I remember them getting a result under Harry Redknapp to qualify for Europe, thanks to a goal from Peter Crouch. So it’s a tricky game.

“There is no pressure on Tottenham this week and if they click, I think they have a chance. That’s why I say I wouldn’t be shocked if Spurs get a result.”

City need to turn a corner

Having entered the November break in such dire form, everyone at the Manchester club will be desperate to put things right and secure a win against Ange Postecoglou’s side this weekend.

In fact, it was their 2-1 defeat to Spurs in the Carabao Cup at the end of October that started City’s quartet of defeats.

Therefore, there should be an element of revenge in the City players’ minds heading into this latest meeting against the Lilywhites.

The club recently announced that Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension, which should give the City players and fans a big boost and raise the atmosphere and energy at the Etihad this weekend.

Even though Spurs are currently seven points below the Citizens in the league table, the home side should still be wary of the threat they carry, especially given how City have only won three of their past 10 league matches against the North London club.

Manchester City released their new documentary last night, and there’s one admission from Erling Haaland that fans will certainly relate to.

Manchester City won the Premier League for a fourth consecutive season last time out, and the club filmed behind-the-scenes footage throughout the campaign.

The documentary has some very revealing moments, such as Pep Guardiola’s reaction to Rodri getting a red card against Nottingham Forest.

Fans can also see Guardiola’s worldless team meeting that impressed Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

One of the most significant moments of last season came when City went to play against Tottenham Hotspur in their penultimate Premier League game.

What Haaland thought when Son raced through against Ortega

City were in the ascendency during the final couple of months of the 2023/24 season.

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It’s often the case that the team reach their best level at the business end, but everyone knew the game against Spurs would be tough.

Against Spurs, City had taken the lead through Erling Haaland, but then late on, Heung-min Son race through against Stefan Ortega.

It was a major moment in the season. If Son would have scored, City may well have dropped points and the title race would have been in Arsenal’s hands going into the final day.

But Ortega made an incredible save. At the time, Jamie Carragher claimed Ortega won Manchester City the Premier League title in that moment.

In the new documentary, there’s a scene where Khaldoon Al Mubarak is talking to some of the players in the canteen about Ortega’s save, with Ortega present himself.

Khaldoon asked Haaland what was going through his head when Son raced through, with the Norwegian making an admission many fans will agree with.

He replied: “The whole world stopped.”

What Pep Guardiola thought as Son raced through against Ortega

Haaland wasn’t the only one to have feared the worst when Son was bearing down on goal.

Guardiola genuinely feared that City were about to lose the title, admitting that Son has given City so much trouble in the past.

He said at the time (via football.london): “You know how many times Son punishes us the last seven, eight years? How many goals they score with Harry Kane? Oh my god.

“We define here how is the team. Ortega saves the actions, otherwise Arsenal are champions, that is the reality. Margins are so tight.

“Stefan makes an incredible save. He has this talent, one vs one he is one of the best keepers I’ve seen in my entire life. He has the German culture, stand up, don’t go down. Since I arrive, in the FA Cup and Carabao Cups. Ederson has had four injuries [this season]. He is so reliable, an incredible keeper. Our keeper trainer made an incredible decision to sign him.”

Thankfully after Ortega’s incredible save, City saw the game out with Haaland scoring again from the penalty spot, before beating West Ham United on the final day to seal the title.

Manchester City are back in Premier League action this weekend following another international break.

Saturday will see City back at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since their 1-0 win over Southampton last month.

This time around, Pep Guardiola’s side will be taking on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

With City having lost their four previous games, the first of which was their 2-1 defeat to Ange Postecoglou’s side in the Carabao Cup, Guardiola admitted City needed the international break to arrive when it did.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s big clash with the Lilywhites, some big behind-the-scenes details have come to light regarding one particular Spurs player and his potential availability.

Tottenham Hotspur to appeal Rodrigo Bentancur ban ahead of Man City clash

Earlier this week, Rodrigo Bentancur was sanctioned to a seven-game ban by the FA for making a racist remark about fellow Spurs teammate Son Heung-min in a live TV interview.

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The North London club have now made a statement regarding the ban and the next step they’ll be taking on the matter.

The statement, shared on the official Tottenham Hotspur website, said this on the subject.

It said: “We can confirm that the Club has appealed against the length of Rodrigo Bentancur’s FA suspension, issued earlier this week.

“While we accept the guilty finding against Rodrigo by the independent regulatory commission, we believe the subsequent sanction is severe.

“Rodrigo will remain suspended from domestic competitions while the appeal is heard and the Club will make no further comment during this time.”

What does this mean for City’s upcoming match against Spurs?

The seven-game ban, while allowing Bentancur to feature in the Europa League, will see the midfielder not return to domestic action until 26 December, missing Premier League matches against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, among others, as well as the North London club’s Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United.

Even though Spurs are looking to appeal the severity of Bentancur’s ban, the midfielder will still be banned for this weekend’s match against City.

Having completed the 90 minutes in the Cup game against the Blues last month, the Uruguayan made six clearances and five tackles in the match, highlighting his defensive capabilities.

Now that he won’t be featuring in Saturday’s game, this could make Spurs much more susceptible defensively which could work in City’s favour.

Manchester City have been involved in multiple transfer deals that have seen players move to and from numerous Premier League clubs in recent years.

For example, having brought in the likes of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea and Matheus Nunes from Wolves, City have sold players such as Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer to Chelsea, as well as Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal.

Even though the next summer transfer window is still some time away, one of City’s top-flight rivals have made a behind-the-scenes move in an effort to land a potential deal for one of Pep Guardiola’s big-name figures in the City squad.

A recent report from Football Transfers claims that Tottenham Hotspur’s sporting director, Johan Lange, has contacted the representatives of Jack Grealish over his current situation and City and a potential move to the North London club.

The report also adds that Lange, who was Aston Villa’s sporting director when Grealish made his £100m move to City in 2021, was involved in trying to lure the winger to Tottenham during the previous summer transfer window, although he wanted to stay at the Manchester club.

With Spurs apparently looking to bring in competition for Son Heung-min and James Maddison during the upcoming January window, Grealish is considered a versatile option who could strengthen both positions for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

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Danny Murphy exposed Grealish’s dip in form

This season has seen the £300k-a-week winger start just six of the 10 matches he’s appeared in across all competitions having had to deal with injury setbacks.

Back in October, Danny Murphy assessed Grealish’s dip in form and highlighted what he needs to do to get back to his most successful period as a City player.

He said: “I think the season when they won the Treble in the second half of that season, he was absolutely outstanding, and Pep played him in all the big games because he was bang on it physically with and without the ball.

“He was producing with the ball and his work off the ball was as good as it’s ever been, and that’s why Pep constantly played him in the big games because he trusted him.

“And what he gave in that City side was lovely balance because they had other match-winners who scored goals. Jack had wonderful ability, as I just said, to keep the ball and get him up the pitch, but he worked really hard off the ball.

“Maybe he’s up and down with that, maybe his physicality is a bit up and down. That’s why sometimes we see him in the team [for] six weeks for City and then out of the team for six weeks.

“He’s got to get back to that second half of the season when they won the Treble is what he’s got to get back to be pushing the first XI for England.”

Even though this season has been similar to the previous one for Grealish in terms of having difficulty getting a consistent role in the City team, the Manchester club should have no intention of selling him anytime soon, especially to another Premier League side.

Manchester City were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

In the last-16 round of the competition, City took on Tottenham Hotspur in North London to try and land a place in the quarter-finals.

With 25 minutes on the clock, Pep Guardiola’s side were 2-0 down after conceding goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr.

Even though Matheus Nunes got one back for the away side just before halftime, they couldn’t find the back of the net throughout the second half.

According to Jamie Redknapp, Guardiola’s decision to leave Erling Haaland on the bench summed up how City may not have been totally desperate to win the match.

After the game, one player who completed the full 90 minutes in the capital for the injury-struck City shared his thoughts on what happened on the night.

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Nico O’Reilly reflects on key incidents in Man City’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Speaking to the official Man City website after the match, Nico O’Reilly shared this assessment of the match and two key incidents he was involved in.

He said: “It’s never nice losing. I thought we played well and for the majority of the game, we were the better team in my opinion for the majority of the game.

“We were getting chance after chance and couldn’t take it but that’s for us to go back to the training pitch and next time hopefully it’ll go in.

On the subject of his attempt at goal that saw Yves Bissouma make a crucial goal-line clearance, O’Reilly said this on the matter.

“It was a good block so fair play to him and then I had a header at the end but I mistimed my jump.”

How did O’Reilly perform against Spurs?

Having started and completed 73 minutes in City’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Watford at the Etihad Stadium back in September, O’Reilly ended up being one of the five outfield players to play through the entire game against Spurs.

With 54 touches of the ball in total, the 19-year-old accurately completed 37 of the 40 passes he attempted, as well as making three tackles for his side.

The two chances to score he mentioned after the game were the only two he had throughout the game.

Now that he has opened up about how it took a good block from Bissouma to stop his first one and then blamed himself for the wayward header later on, this shows how mature he is at such a young age by being able to praise an opponent and accept his own mistake.

Manchester City could take a step closer to winning another piece of silverware this evening.

After beating Watford 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the previous round, City will be taking on Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup in North London.

City’s previous match saw them beat Southampton 1-0 at home in the Premier League on Saturday thanks to a fifth-minute Erling Haaland goal to keep their unbeaten start to the season going.

Throughout the first few weeks and months of the season, City have had to deal with numerous injury issues while getting through a packed domestic and European fixture schedule.

Looking ahead to Wednesday night’s Cup clash in the capital, Pep Guardiola has discussed the possibility of him looking outside of City’s senior squad to put a team together to take on Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Pep Guardiola hints at potential academy player featuring against Tottenham

When asked in his recent press conference (via Man City) about the players in City’s academy and whether any of them could feature against Spurs, Guardiola gave this honest response.

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He said: “There is someone. But we play against Spurs when they are coming from a defeat.

“I know what happened, mentally and for the manager and the players playing against City, sorry to tell you again, four Premier League titles in a row, I know they will be at their best.

“The Carabao Cup, also, we won four times in a row. Always, I use the first rounds to play the guys who didn’t play maybe regularly. But now we have a problem. We have a lot of injured players.

“I cannot take as much, but I don’t want to put that much pressure on the young, young players to be in this stage against this opponent for the way they play. That’s why I have to make a mix for the players. Split minutes.

“We will arrive home at 2am or 3am on Wednesday night and Friday we have to travel to Bournemouth. It’s a really intense game, the way they play and the way they are, that’s why we have to try and think about it and keep one eye on that.

“And after travel to Lisbon, the recovery will be so difficult this time. That’s why you have to take a look at how the players come back and today in training, how fresh [they are] and try to minimise the mistakes in the selection.”

Could Guardiola call up Kaden Braithwaite again?

Looking back to the win over Watford in the previous round of the Carabao Cup, Guardiola gave 16-year-old defender Kaden Braithwaite his senior debut for City in the 2-1 win against the Hornets.

In that game, the teenager made two tackles and one interception as well as accurately completing 62 of the 65 passes he attempted and winning three of the four ground duels he was involved in.

After that match, Braithwaite shared what Guardiola told him ahead of making his senior City debut.

He said: “He just said he doesn’t mind if I make mistakes and stuff like that. As long as I work hard and run, that’s all that he cares about.”

Given this previous example of Guardiola giving an academy star the chance to shine in the first team, it could be likely that the player the City star hinted at in his latest press conference could be Braithwaite.

Manchester City are back in action on the road again with a Carabao Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

After beating Watford 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in the previous round, City will be taking on Ange Postecoglou’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night to try and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Since that victory, the Blues have managed to remain unbeaten in all competitions, picking up big wins in the Premier League and the Champions League.

Spurs head into this match having lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. This would make it likely that the players and coaching staff would want to put that right for their supporters by beating City.

While Pep Guardiola is dealing with several injury issues at City, the Spurs boss has suggested that the North London side could be without one of their key players for Wednesday’s Cup clash.

When asked in his recent press conference if Son Heung-min could make his return from injury against City, Postecoglou gave this response.

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He said: “Son’s almost fit but probably from our perspective we’ll aim for the weekend.”

Guardiola said City have a ‘few’ players out

The South Korean missed Tottenham’s previous Premier League and Europa League matches with a thigh injury.

Having faced off against City on 19 occasions during his time at the North London club, Son has scored eight goals and delivered four assists.

With that in mind, it would certainly be a miss for Spurs to not have him fit enough to feature against the Blues.

However, with the Manchester club having their own fitness issues, Guardiola shared this on City’s current injury situation and what he’s hoping to see from his side against Spurs.

He said: “Few players [out], but we’re going to try and do a good game, try and go through. Last season we were out against Newcastle, played really well.

“So perform well, this is what I want, no injuries please, and go to the last week before the international break.”

Given the injury issues involving both sides, both sets of supporters will undoubtedly be interested to see the starting XI’s on the night.

Manchester City are in Carabao Cup action on Wednesday night against Tottenham Hotspur.

Pep Guardiola is looking for his side to continue their terrific start to the new season, and face a Spurs side who have just lost to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The day after City beat Southampton 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium, Ange Postecoglou’s men then became the first team to lose to Palace in the Premier League this season.

They will be looking to bounce back, and may fancy their chances against Manchester City are home, having enjoyed good results there in previous meetings.

But City have actually now won on their last two visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and that psychological barrier is no more.

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Here is a team Guardiola could field tomorrow night in London.

Man City predicted XI v Tottenham in Carabao Cup – Nathan Ake and James McAtee to start

Guardiola suggested after the win over Watford in the second round that it is his intention to make changes in the Carabao Cup.

He sees the competition as an opportunity to get minutes into the legs of those on the fringes, so City fans can expect several changes against Spurs.

Stefan Ortega tends to play the cup games for City and there is no reason why he would not start against Spurs.

John Stones came off the bench at the weekend and is likely to come into the backline. Manuel Akanji might be his partner, with Ruben Dias having played a full game against Southampton and then attended the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Rico Lewis could continue inverting from right-back if Kyle Walker remains unfit. Nathan Ake will surely replace Josko Gvardiol. Gvardiol has emerged as a big threat now for Ake, so this is a chance for the £41 million Dutchman to try and raise his stock a little.

In midfield, one would imagine there will again be chances for youngsters Nico O’Reilly and James McAtee.

Ilkay Gundogan started on the bench against Southampton and should be relatively fresh to play from the beginning against Spurs. It could be that O’Reilly and Gundogan operate as a double-pivot with McAtee playing as a number 10.

With Guardiola potentially wanting to give Erling Haaland a rest, we could well see Phil Foden play as a false nine, perhaps interchanging with McAtee.

Matheus Nunes and Savinho could both keep their places as the wingers, providing they are feeling fit.

With Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku both unavailable, Guardiola may not really have any other choice than to start the pair once again.

Should Guardiola go with this exact team, then it would mean six changes from the side that started against Southampton.

Manchester City have another midweek game ahead of them in what has already been a very busy 2024/25 season.

For their sixth and final match of October, City will be taking on Tottenham Hotspur away in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.

Their previous match saw Pep Guardiola’s side snatch a narrow 1-0 win over Southampton at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.

To get into this stage of the Carabao Cup, the Blues beat Championship side Watford 2-1 thanks to goals from Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes.

With their attention now turned to their meeting with Spurs in the capital, the City boss has shared an update concerning the injury situation surrounding his squad and what he’s hoping to see on the night.

Pep Guardiola assesses Tottenham Hotspur clash amid Man City injury crisis

When asked about the current fitness situation ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash against Spurs, Guardiola gave this assessment in his latest press conference.

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He said: “Few players [out], but we’re going to try and do a good game, try and go through. Last season we were out against Newcastle, played really well. So perform well, this is what I want, no injuries please, and go to the last week before the international break.”

Who is currently out injured for City?

In terms of long-term injuries, City have Rodri out injured for the rest of the season as well as Oscar Bobb not being likely to return to training until December.

In addition to that, the Blues were also without Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku for their win against Southampton, which is likely to be the case again against Spurs.

In fact, Guardiola hinted that he could turn to City’s academy for the match against Tottenham, saying this after the Saints win.

He said: “We will see what happens. In this calendar, the Carabao Cup is just to play with the young players.

“We will see if we play with academy players or see how they come back fresh from that.”

Taking all of that into account and this latest cryptic update from Guardiola about his available players, it could be a very interesting starting XI the Catalan comes up with for Wednesday’s match against Tottenham.

Either way, the main objective could be leaning towards getting through the match with no extra injury problems rather than just focusing on winning.

Manchester City have signed multiple players from fellow Premier League sides during Pep Guardiola’s reign in charge of the team.

Since taking the reins at the Etihad Stadium back in 2016, Guardiola has brought in players such as Jack Grealish, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes from numerous top-flight clubs.

Now that the 53-year-old has kicked off his ninth season in charge of City, one of the players he signed from another Premier League club has shed some light on the way in which he left his former team to join Guardiola’s side.

Kyle Walker sheds light on Tottenham Hotspur exit and Man City move

When asked how his exit from Tottenham Hotspur to join City panned out back in 2017, Kyle Walker had this to say in response during a recent edition of You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker.

He said: “I had a couple of good seasons towards the back end of it.

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“I kind of knew that [Mauricio] Pochettino’s mind was going in a different direction, that it was leaning more towards [Kieran] Trippier. But when I was playing, I was putting in the performances.

“So City spoke to my agent, seen that there was a little gap that they could probably persuade me to go.

“I went up to the manager. I know he’s written different stuff about me in his book, and he tells his version. But I went up to the manager and said, ‘I’m not in your plans, am I?’

“And he said, no. He’s going to push more for Trippier next season. So I said, ‘Please can I go?’ And he said, ‘Well, I won’t stand in your way.’

“That was it. There was no hard blood. There’s no bad feelings or anything. He was just honest and I respect him so much for that.

“But yeah, he just put it to bed. He was just like, you know what? That’s the direction he’s going to go in. Obviously, he said, go and speak with Daniel [Levy].

“I had to go and have a conversation with the chairman and say, ‘OK, Mr. Chairman I want to leave. Please can I leave? They’re willing to pay the money.’

“They thrashed the deal out. And that was it. It wasn’t as smooth sailing as I’d have liked it to have been.

“You know, there was a lot of this price, that price. But that’s probably a good businessman doing what he does and getting the most for the club, really.

“What probably people don’t understand is, I won’t say Daniel as such, but as a whole in chairmans, we are humans and we want to be happy.

“Now, I think our manager is unbelievable.

“If you come to him and say you want to leave, he doesn’t stand in your way. Go. Because I don’t want an unhappy player playing football for this club and playing for me. Because we’re not going to get the best out of each other. “

Walker has had a very successful time at City

Back in June, Jason Cundy said that Walker is the best right-back England has ever produced.

City paid Spurs £50m to sign the Englishman after he made 229 senior appearances for the North London club.

During his time with the Blues, the defender has made 301 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with six goals and 23 assists.

In addition to that, Walker has lifted numerous domestic and European trophies, captaining City to their historic fourth consecutive Premier League title last season.

This highlights just how prominent the full-back has been in the team since his arrival and how much success he’s had, showcasing how right he was to leave Spurs when he did.