TOTTENHAM have been haunted by the ghost of Manchester City for all of… well, two weeks.Just a fortnight ago, Spurs stormed to a shock 2-0 lead away to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Riyad Mahrez scored twice as Man City beat Spurs two weeks ago
But a remarkable second-half comeback saw City score FOUR times to run out 4-2 winners and leave Antonio Conte stunned.
City are still playing catch-up in the Premier League – five points adrift of leaders Arsenal, with the Gunners also having a game in hand to play.
Guardiola knows he risks giving up his crown to his former protege, Mikel Arteta.
A league title defeat would be all the more painful with City selling Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the Gunners last summer.
So three points in North London is the order of the day – but Tottenham are still fighting tooth and nail to secure a top-four spot.
Spurs sit fifth, three points behind Manchester United – with the Red Devils having one game in hand, too.
So already Conte is approaching ‘must-win’ territory and while even a point against City would feel like a win, the Italian boss knows he can’t afford to watch his side drop too many more points.
Unfortunately for him, he’s likely to miss the game after undergoing surgery to remove his gallbladder earlier this week.
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The second-half of the season starts now with the transfer window slamming shut.
Man City brought in midfielder Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield, but it was the departure of Joao Cancelo that was the real shock of their transfer dealings.
Tottenham, on the other hand, only strengthened their squad – bringing in Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro after allowing a spate of squad players to leave.
So with plenty to play for, who will come out on top in North London?
What is their form like?
Tottenham: In a word: Mixed.
Spurs have progressed to the FA Cup fifth round with wins over Portsmouth and Preston.
And they’ve beaten Crystal Palace 4-0 ad high-flying Fulham 1-0 since the turn of the year.
But big losses against Man City and Arsenal have hurt them.
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The Etihad giants have also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup with wins over Arsenal and Chelsea.
Thumped Wolves and Spurs in the league but also lost to rivals Manchester United 2-1 to heavily dent their title hopes.
What is the team news?
Tottenham: Richarlison, Lucas Moura and Pape Matar Sarr are all in contention for the match following recent injuries.
Pedro Porro could be thrown in at the deep end after his deadline day transfer and may start at right-wing-back.
Man City: Phil Foden and John Stones are doubts following injury.
Otherwise, it’s a fully-fit squad for Guardiola to choose from with Perrone the only new arrival – although he’s unlikely to start.
Star men
Tottenham: Harry Kane. In a match of such magnitude, it simply has to be the England striker.
City are almost unstoppable in attack, so Spurs may have to fight fire with fire.
And what better way to do that than with Kane – the man most-likely to finally break Alan Shearer’s Premier League goals record.
Man City: Erling Haaland. Who else?
While Kane may be heir to Shearer’s throne, if Haaland stays in England long enough, he’s almost certain to go one better and shatter the all-time record.
Guardiola is able to rest Haaland from time to time thanks to Julian Alvarez’s superb form.
But make no mistake, the Norwegian ex-Borussia Dortmund star is the main man – and the one opponents fear most.
What have the managers said?
Antonio Conte recently underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder and may miss the game.
The Italian has not spoken since his shock diagnosis on Wednesday.
But assistant Cristian Stellini said: “We don’t know yet when he is coming back.
“The surgery was good. He’s recovering well at home. We have two days before the game and anything can happen.
“The decision will be made tomorrow. We are ready to do everything and probably the doctor who did the surgery will have to decide for him. We have 48 hours to decide.
“I think nobody here can keep him calm.
“He’s an intelligent man. He knows what happened. The surgery is not the worst but it’s still surgery and he knows he has to be careful.”
Pep Guardiola revealed John Stones is absent for up to a month, but hinted Phil Foden could make the squad.
He also touched on the Kane vs Haaland battle, saying: “We’re extremely happy with Erling, I think Spurs are extremely happy with Kane.
“What an exceptional player Harry is and the quality of his goals. I think Kane proves that titles don’t mean anything. He remains one of the best strikers I’ve seen in my life.
“They’re happy to have him. We’re happy to have a young player like Erling, who will hopefully play for us for many years.”
What are the odds?
Tottenham – 7/2
Draw – 31/10
Man City 3/4
*Odds courtesy of Betfair and correct at time of publication.
When is Tottenham vs Man City?
Tottenham’s home clash against City will take place on Sunday, February 5.
The match will get underway from 4.30pm GMT as part of Sky Sports’ Super Sunday coverage.
The game will be held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
Tottenham vs Man City will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football.
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You can live stream the action from the Sky Go or NOW TV apps, both of which are available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
SunSport prediction
Tottenham 1 Man City 2 More
