Premier League: Fasten Your Seatbelts!

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur

Their meetings last season proved crucial in the Premier League title race.

Home and away victories which displayed the hallmark of champions and, in the end, ones which proved vital in sealing English football’s top prize.

There was, however, one game between the two that stood out head and shoulders above any other.

The game of the season as far as this SBOBET writer is concerned.

An epic encounter with which words struggled to do justice, so barely credible were the events which unfolded.

Now we go again and the question is, could another classic be on the cards in only the second week of the new season?

Talking Points

Both sides produced Premier League highlights on the opening weekend of the campaign.

The champions turned on the style to ultimately overcome a tough assignment at West Ham with ease, emphasising their superiority in what was a masterclass in earning the right to play.

Spurs weren’t quite as comfortable but by the end had too much know-how for newly promoted Aston Villa as Harry Kane showed why, if he can stay fit, he will remain the man to beat in the race for the top scorer prize.

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Serie A

No opponent can match the strength of squad at Pep Guardiola’s disposal – that was emphasised last weekend by Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero being named as substitutes, while Fernandinho was not in the squad at all. The luckless Leroy Sane looks likely to miss most of the campaign.

On the other side, Mauricio Pochettino has more options this term too.

After a summer of substantial recruitment in which club-record recruit Tanguy Ndombele was joined late on by loanee Giovanni Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon, the Argentine boss has seen his options finally replenished and new alternatives possible.

Good job really as Heung-min Son – the scourge of City in Europe last season – remains suspended while Dele Alli has a hamstring problem. Both will be missed in a game of this magnitude.

Ben Davies is battling for fitness and fellow defender Juan Foyth is not in contention (both injured and suspended).

Moreover, Serge Aurier is also a doubt as he continues to recover from surgery to a hand injury.

It’s likely the experience and guile of Jan Vertonghen, who watched Tottenham’s opening day win from the stands, will be recalled.

Rumours of a falling-out are wide of the mark.

The experienced Belgian is one of Pochettino’s generals and he and Kane were out with the manager, chairman Daniel Levy and coaching staff to an exclusive meal in Shanghai just weeks ago.

Perhaps Pochettino viewed last weekend as a game where he could give the influential defender a rare rest. He can’t this weekend.

Premier League fans can’t wait to see Giovani Lo Celso in action against City — Giovani Lo Celso waves to Tottenham supporters

History

City have won 63 of their meetings and Spurs 61 (a further 35 matches have been drawn) which shows you how well-matched they have been over the years with both clubs enjoying their own periods of glory.

In this match last season, on Easter Saturday with the title race on a knife-edge, City prevailed 1-0 with an early goal from Phil Foden.

It came less than 72 hours after Spurs knocked them out of Europe and was their fourth successive win against the Lilywhites in the top flight.

The other league game last year was settled by another solitary early goal, this time courtesy of Riyad Mahrez.

City have now won 12 of the last 17 meetings in the Premier League.

It’s three years since Spurs last won on City turf overall when a late Christian Eriksen goal sealed a 2-1 success.

Guardiola arrived in English football a few months later and, while he lost his first meeting with Spurs as City boss, 2-0 in October 2016 (an Aleksandar Kolarov own goal and Alli), he has won four of the five which have followed.