Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns at the Etihad Stadium in a highly anticipated Premier League clash as both teams aim to continue their winning start to the 2025/26 season. The encounter promises to be an early litmus test of their title credentials, with two tactically sharp managers in Pep Guardiola and Thomas Frank going head-to-head.
City enter the fixture full of confidence after a commanding 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day. Their recent form across competitions has been strong, with only a narrow FIFA Club World Cup defeat to Al Hilal disrupting an otherwise impressive run of wins against top opposition. Spurs also began their campaign brightly, brushing aside Burnley 3-0, and will be eager to prove themselves as genuine challengers this season.
The recent head-to-head record between these two sides has been evenly balanced. Manchester City edged the most recent meeting 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, courtesy of an early Erling Haaland strike, but Spurs famously dismantled City 4-0 at the Etihad last November. Tottenham also eliminated City from the EFL Cup last season, highlighting their ability to trouble Guardiola’s side.
Team News
Manchester City have a few fitness concerns with Mateo Kovacic, Kalvin Phillips, Savinho, Josko Gvardiol, and Marcus Bettinelli sidelined. However, the return of Rodri, Phil Foden, and goalkeeper Ederson is a major boost. John Stones is set to partner Ruben Dias at the back, while Rayan Ait-Nouri continues at left-back. The right-back role is up for grabs between Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis. In midfield, Bernardo Silva, Nico González, and Tijjani Reijnders are likely to start, with Foden pushing for a wide role alongside Haaland, who continues his pursuit of goal-scoring records.
Tottenham face a more severe injury list with James Maddison, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Bryan Gil, Manor Solomon, and Kota Takai all ruled out. Destiny Udogie is back in training but not yet ready to feature, while Yves Bissouma is unavailable. Thomas Frank may opt for a three-man defense, bringing in Kevin Danso to line up with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. That system would allow Pedro Porro and Djed Spence to operate as wing-backs. In attack, Mohammed Kudus is expected to support Richarlison, who remains the focal point of Spurs’ frontline.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Trafford; Nunes, Stones, Dias, Ait-Nouri; Bernardo, Gonzalez; Bobb, Reijnders, Marmoush; Haaland
Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-2-1): Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Bentancur, Palhinha, Spence; Sarr, Kudus; Richarlison
