The final match to be played in the English Premier League this weekend is arguably the most anticipated as Manchester City begins their title defence at Tottenham Hotspur.
The game will be played on Sunday afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and this will be first competitive fixture in charge of the Spurs team for Nuno Espírito Santo.
Session ahead of Spurs 💪... Watch 'til the end 😂🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/U82D3S03aP— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 12, 2021
Session ahead of Spurs 💪... Watch 'til the end 😂🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/U82D3S03aP
Tottenham Hotspur finished in 7th place last season which was a disappointing outcome as they missed out on both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, having to settle for a place in the newly formed Europa Conference League qualifiers.
Spurs have played five friendly matches during preseason and come into the Premier League undefeated. There have been victories against Colchester United, Milton Keynes Dons, and Arsenal plus draws with Leyton Orient and Chelsea. The results against the Premier League opposition will give Nuno Espírito Santo some confidence his team can finish higher than they did last season.
Spurs were finding a way to break teams down towards the end of last season and had a period of 15 straight Premier League clashes in which they scored 1 or more goals. Home form in the Premier League shows Spurs have won 3 of their last 4 games. The victories came over Southampton, Sheffield United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Trends show Spurs have scored in each of their last 8 home league matches but have kept only 2 clean sheets in their last 5 on home soil.
Manchester City started the 2021/22 season with a 1-0 defeat in the Community Shield match against Leicester City at Wembley Stadium. The game was decided by a penalty in the 89th minute but Pep Guardiola selected some fringe players in the team and will not be overly concerned by the result.
The Citizens finished last season with a couple of defeats but the job of winning the title was already complete and thoughts were turning to the Champions League final. Trends show Manchester City have won 12 of their last 13 away Premier League matches, scoring 2 or more goals in each their last 6 league games on the road. In fact, Manchester City have scored 2 or more goals in 11 of their last 12 league away trips.
Manchester City are unbeaten in 26 of their last 30 matches in Premier League.
Looking ahead to the team news and Tottenham Hotspur could have Harry Kane and new signing, Cristian Romero available for selection but it seems unlikely either player is going to start. Bryan Gil recently finished playing with Spain at the Olympics and is unlikely to be involved.
Manchester City have several players who could miss out, with Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne definitely unavailable. The likes of Gabriel Jesus, Ederson, John Stones, Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling may be available following their international exploits in the summer. Jack Grealish is set make his full debut for the club.
With several potential absentees for Manchester City, this could be a good chance for Spurs to begin the season with a big win. However, there is great strength in depth at the Etihad Stadium and it would not be a surprise to see Manchester City come away with maximum points and score at least 2 goals.