Tottenham tonight head to Manchester City in need of a win, facing the reigning Premier League champions in a similar situation with Arsenal seemingly running away with the title race.
Spurs have won four of their last five games against Pep Guardiola’s side - here’s how Dan Kilpatrick sees the match playing out...
Can City stop Harry Kane?
Harry Kane produced one of the finest individual displays in recent memory when Spurs won 3-2 at the Etihad last season, scoring twice and orchestrating Antonio Conte’s counter-punching game from a deep position. Pep Guardiola will surely have a fresh plan for the England captain and, with Heung-min Son out of form, stopping him could be the key to stopping Spurs.
Haaland will punish errors
For all the questions about Erling Haaland’s build-up play, there is
no one in the Premier League more likely to punish the individual errors that have crept into Spurs’s game. Hugo Lloris, who made a mistake in the win at City a year ago, has been particularly culpable in recent weeks and Conte will know that a sloppy mistake at the back could undo his entire game plan.
Winning the midfield battle
Spurs were overrun in midfield in last weekend’s defeat by Arsenal, a familiar problem for Conte’s side. Rodrigo Bentancur’s likely return should give the visitors more presence in the middle, but they are likely to be outnumbered by City’s three and rampaging full-backs. Conte must ensure Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have sufficient help to ensure Spurs have a foothold and are not swamped again.
