Man City vs Tottenham Lineups – Prediction, Team News, and Where to Watch

Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, August 23 (12:30 BST), in a pivotal early-season Premier League showdown. Both teams enter the match with perfect starts to the 2025/26 season—City thrashing Wolves 4-0, while Spurs defeated Burnley 3-0.

Man City vs Tottenham Team News

Manchester City Injuries

Manchester City will be without several key players due to injuries ahead of their clash with Tottenham. Mateo Kovačić is sidelined with an Achilles tendon issue, while Claudio Echeverri is out with an ankle problem. Additionally, Joshua Wilson-Esbrand remains unavailable as he recovers from a calf injury. Pep Guardiola may need to adjust his squad and rotation options accordingly.

Tottenham Injuries

Tottenham also face notable absences for this fixture. Radu Drăguşin, Dejan Kulusevski, and Bryan Gil are all sidelined with knee injuries. Furthermore, James Maddison remains a long-term absentee. These injuries could impact Spurs’ attacking options and force Ange Postecoglou to make tactical adjustments.

Man City vs Tottenham Predicted Lineups

Guardiola’s fluid system leverages Silva and Foden to feed Haaland (2 goals vs. Wolves). New signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki could feature after scoring debuts.

Thomas Frank may start Archie Gray if Maddison is unfit, emphasizing high-press aggression. Kudus-Richarlison partnership shone vs. Burnley (2 goals)—whipped crosses from Porro (6 assists last season) are critical.

Manchester City (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Rúben Dias (C), Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Aké; Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Jérémy Doku; Erling Haaland

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; João Palhinha, Yves Bissouma; Brennan Johnson, Archie Gray, Mohammed Kudus; Richarlison.

Prediction and Key Factors

While Manchester City go into this match as favourites due to home advantage and depth, Tottenham’s counter-attacking style could make this a very competitive affair.

It will be Haaland vs. Romero, with the aerial duel defining the encounter – Romero will need to avoid an early booking to contain Haaland. On the other hand, it could be Rodri vs. Kudus, with Kudus’ dribbling potentially disrupting Rodri’s midfield control, especially on counters.

Poro’s flanks could be a threat, with his overlapping runs targeting City’s left-backs – Nathan Aké could face a tough test.

As for the predictions, City are 3-1 up. Stats Insider gives City a 67.6% chance of winning, but Spurs’ set-piece skills (Palhinha/Kudus) could pose a risk.

With City’s home advantage and firepower (21 goals in the last 5 games) against Spurs’ rebuilt attack led by Frank, this game of revenge for the 4-0 humiliation of November 2024 will energize Guardiola’s team.

Where to Watch Man City vs Tottenham