Spurs will be looking to pick themselves up from Monday night’s 3-0 loss at Old Trafford this weekend as they play host to high-flying Man City. Roberto Mancini’s side are in scintillating form right now- six points from a possible six with seven goals thrown in sees them the top-scoring side in the Premier League.
Likely Line-Ups
Vedran Corluka may start at right-back after Kyle Walker was withdrawn at half-time in the Old Trafford loss with illness. Tom Huddlestone continues to ease his way back to full fitness but may have to be content with a place on the bench again, while uncertainty still hangs over the future of Luka Modric. Redknapp changed formation from 4-4-1-1 to 4-4-2 when Spurs went a goal down against United- a similar scenario would see Aaron Lennon drop out, with Rafael Van der Vaart playing wide right and Roman Pavlyuchenko joining Jermain Defoe up front.
Roberto Mancini has already rotated his left-backs in the two games so far and this scenario could see Gael Clichy return to the first-team fold at White Hart Lane. Nigel De Jong missed the win at Bolton with a foot injury and may still be sidelined, while James Milner did his starting chances no harm with two assists in the Reebok win. Samir Nasri’s transfer from Arsenal could yet see him start, while up front Edin Dzeko looks likely to lead the line after scoring in his first two games of the league season. Sergio Aguero will surely start, meaning a place on the bench for Carlo Tevez.
Midfield Goal Threat
Both sides have racked up plenty of goal attempts already- City have averaged 20 shots per game while Spurs had 16 attempts against Man United. The main threat from either side hasn’t come from their forwards, however, with midfielders providing the most consistent efforts at goal.
A look at the Spurs player positions shows just how far forward Rafael Van der Vaart (11) played against United. The Dutchman had an incredible 8 shots at goal and was a threat to the champions creatively, too; he made 3 key passes and 2 successful dribbles and with a pass accuracy of 80%, picked up a rating of 7.29 for his brilliant attacking display.
Despite the likes of Sergio Aguero and David Silva hogging the headlines, it’s Yaya Toure who has been City’s greatest goal threat. Averaging 5 shots per game, Toure has been unlucky not to find the net and he’s also made 1.5 key passes and 1 successful dribble per game. The Ivorian is also City’s most impressive player when in possession, with a 91% pass accuracy, and has picked up a WhoScored.com rating of 7.56 per game so far.
Key Battles
A look at Bolton’s shot directions in last Sunday’s game shows that while none came from City’s left flank, 40% were made from the visitors right. With this in mind, Micah Richards may have to up his game, given that he’ll be facing Gareth Bale this weekend.
Bale troubled the United back-four with 4 successful dribbles and looks in the mood to attack City but Richards has been strong defensively- the right-back has made 2.5 tackles per game, second only to Nigel De Jong (3) for City, and has been beaten by an average of just 1 dribble per game.
The Welsh winger was also a major creative presence last time out- he made 3 key passes, though he lost possession on 2 occasions at Old Trafford, while Richards has also made 1.5 interceptions per game- the match-up looks intriguing, then, with both showing strong form.
Bale picked up a WhoScored.com rating of 7.06 for his performance while Richards has averaged a WhoScored.com rating of 7.44 for a couple of displays that have also seen him excel going forward- making 1 assist in each of his two appearances.
David Silva v Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Given the mood he’s in right now, can anyone stop David Silva? Though he tends to start from a position on the right wing, Silva is given license to roam by Mancini and more often than not finds himself on either wing and through the middle. Nevertheless, his direct opponent at the weekend will be left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
Silva’s trickery has seen him make 2.5 successful dribbles per game while Assou-Ekotto was beaten by 1 dribble at Old Trafford. The Spaniard has had 3 shots per game for City, second only to Toure, but Assou-Ekotto has been impressive in blocking shots, with 2 against United. A brilliant 3.5 key passes per game from Silva highlights his creative threat as he probes for an opening, though the Cameroonian’s 3 interceptions helped break up the United attacks.
Silva has also lost possession on 3.5 occasions per game, and with Assou-Ekotto making 2 tackles at United his defensive output was strong. So far this season, Silva has averaged 8.73 per game whilst the Spurs man recorded 6.60 for his performance in the 3-0 Old Trafford loss.
