The big game of the weekend in the Premier League is at the Etihad where Man City host Tottenham.
It’s the first big test for both managers and BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson thinks that the home side will prevail in a tight game on Saturday evening.
“Tottenham were pretty unimpressive until the final 20 minutes of their win over Aston Villa,” Lawrenson wrote in his BBC column, “but that doesn’t matter – they got the win, which is what the top teams do when they don’t play well.”
“City were a lot more like their usual selves in their big win against West Ham, but I am expecting a much tighter game here because Spurs have got the weapons to hurt them on the break. I still expect Pep Guardiola’s side to win, but it is not going to be straightforward.”
Lawrenson predicted a 2-1 win for Man City.
Can Poch get a result?
It’s probably the toughest game of the season for Pochettino’s side and recent fixtures point to a home win.
Man City won both fixtures 1-0 in the Premier League last season, but went out to their rivals in the Champions League after losing 1-0 away and winning 4-3 at home.
They didn’t win any of the games by more than a single goal though, which shows how fine the margins are at the top of the Premier League.
Both teams won their first game of the season, although Man City did it with plenty to spare when they smashed West Ham 5-0 away from home.
By contrast, Tottenham struggled to break down Aston Villa and let in a sloppy goal after nine minutes that threatened an upset until Tanguy Ndombele scored midway through the second half. Two late strikes from Harry Kane proved he’s got his August shooting boots on, though, and as Lawrenson said, Spurs do have the players who can hurt Man City.
Heung-min Son and Dele Alli are still out for Spurs, too, and that could tip the game towards Man City. Pochettino just doesn’t have the same depth in his squad that Guardiola does.
TiF Verdict
Man City 3 – 1 Tottenham
Watch it!
The game is being shown live on Sky Sports Main Event on Saturday and kick-off is 5.30pm.