English Premier
2026-02-01 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 1st February 2025 - Kick Off 4:30pm
This game is live on TV
Tottenham Hotspur
The English Premier League has proven to be dominant in the Group Stage of the Champions League and Tottenham Hotspur are one of five teams that have already made it through to the Last 16 of the competition. Thomas Frank remains under pressure through the poor Premier League form and he is still trying to get the fans on board and behind his team, which always makes it tougher for a manager when that has not been happening.
Two more points were dropped at Turf Moor last Saturday, but it could have been even worse for Tottenham Hotspur if not for an injury time equaliser on the day. That result has left them in 14th place in the Premier League table and they are now 6 points behind the top seven places, which means European participation for next season is in doubt. One of the big issues for Spurs this season has been the poor 2-3-6 home record, meaning they have recorded the second fewest home points in the top flight to this stage of the campaign.
Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in 3 games in all competitions and they have won twice in that run, both in Champions League games. The Premier League form has been disappointing and Spurs have won 1 of the last 8 top flight games ahead of this fixture. Tottenham Hotspur did beat Borussia Dortmund at home in the last fixture here, but they have not beaten any of the last 4 domestic opponents and they have lost 3 times in that run.
Micky van de Ven should be available this Sunday, but Pedro Porro has been ruled out for at least a couple of weeks. Richarlison is hoping to be back at some point later this month, while the likes of Conor Gallagher and Souza are available having been ineligible to play in the Champions League.
Manchester City
The defeat in the Artic Circle on Match Day 7 of the Champions League made things awkward for Manchester City, but the team bounced back with an important win over Galatasaray. Pep Guardiola can thank old rival Jose Mourinho for guiding his Benfica to a win over Real Madrid as that win coupled with Manchester City's on the same night pushed the Premier League club into the Last 16 of the competition.
It is important to remove two more potential games on the schedule in February as Manchester City look to clear up some of the injuries and also maintain the push to close the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal. Results last weekend means there are just 4 points between the two teams, but that gap could be significantly wider with Manchester City playing the penultimate League game of the weekend. The side have a 5-2-4 away record in the top flight this season.
Manchester City suffered consecutive defeats in the middle of January, but closed the month with back to back 2-0 home wins over Wolves and Galatasaray. Both of those defeats were away from home and Manchester City have won 1 of the last 4 on their travels in all competitions.
Jeremy Doku created both goals on Wednesday, but picked up an injury that is almost certainly going to rule him out this weekend. Ruben Dias is hoping to return over the next fortnight, while both Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo are available having been ineligible for the Champions League Group fixtures played in January.
Head to Head
Tottenham Hotspur won at the Etihad Stadium for a second time in a row when completing a 0-2 win there in August.
They had won the first 5 home games against Manchester City in their new Stadium, but Tottenham Hotspur have lost 3 of the last 4 here, including back to back Premier League defeats without scoring a goal.
Prediction
The last Premier League to be played on Sunday comes from North London and there are many Tottenham Hotspur fans who would be quite happy to hand over three points to Manchester City in the hope they can chase down rivals Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
That mindset is one that angered Ange Postecoglou a couple of years ago, and you have to believe Thomas Frank will ignore it too.
The manager can ill-afford too many more Premier League results with Tottenham Hotspur trending towards another top flight bottom half finish. Missing out on European Football would be a huge blow for the club and will have a financial implication on transfer business in the summer, while it is hard to imagine Frank retaining his job if that was to happen.
Another big Champions League performance has carried Tottenham Hotspur through to the Last 16 of the competition, but the Premier League form remains poor to say the least. A single win in 8 League games and a run of 3 defeats in 4 home games against domestic opponents is offering little encouragement, while another defensive injury just stretches options again.
Now they have to face a Manchester City team who have earned back to back clean sheets and look to have rounded the corner following consecutive away defeats at Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt.
The opening month of the calendar year has seen Manchester City struggling for away form and so there have to be some concerns about backing them here at odds on.
Manchester City have won 3 of the last 4 visits to this part of North London though and they do have players like Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo available, which strengthens the team.
Nothing is expected to come easily, but Manchester City's extra power in the final third may just prove to be the difference and they can earn another narrow win at the home of Tottenham Hotspur.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Manchester City
