The stage is set for today’s (Tuesday) UEFA Champions League cracker between two of England’s title hopeful in Europe as Tottenham welcome Manchester City at the new ultra modern White Harte Lane.
Spurs as the team is nicknamed will host the first leg of one of Europe’s most glamorous competitions against an high-flying Manchester City side in the quarter final stages. Both teams are no stranger to each other having met on numerous occasion in the Premier League this season.
The last time City played Tottenham at Wembley on October 29, 2018, the team won by 1-0 thanks to Riyad Mahrez’s 6th minutes goal in the first half. Spurs started life in their new ground with a win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday and will now be looking to secure a first-leg advantage ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium for the return fixture on April 17.
Manchester City will be favourites to make it to the last four but Pep Guardiola and his players will also be uncomfortably aware of what happened at this stage last season, when the expected progress against Liverpool simply failed to materialise.
Spurs are in a position almost identical to that of Liverpool last year going into the quarter-final. The Champions League is their only remaining hope of glory this season, with no other distractions apart from the necessity of securing another top-four finish. While Mauricio Pochettino will be banking on Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane to shoulder the goal scoring responsibilities, Pep Guardiola will be relying on Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, David Silva and Bernard Silva to unlock the Spurs’ defence.
Head-To-Head
Tuesday will bring the 157th competitive meeting between the two teams. City lead the head-to-head 61 wins to Tottenham’s 60, with the remaining 35 matches finishing level. City have been victorious in each of the last three meetings between the two sides, though, including a 1-0 success at Wembley in the Premier League earlier this season. Tottenham’s last win over City was a 2-0 home success in October 2016.
Quotable Quotes
“It’s a massive game but we are not scared. We should be brave and show our ambition. The fans can give us a little bit of a boost. Our team is full of positive people, positive mates. We can use this positive energy against big sides.” – Tottenham’s Heung-min Son
‘In the Champions League, in all the away games, the fans support the team more than ever. It’s the second time Spurs play at home, so we know exactly what we are going to face.
‘It’s in our hands how we handle it. If we want to make a step forward as a club, as a team, we have to know how to handle these situations. If we don’t, it’s because we are still not prepared to go through.’ – Man City’s Pep Guardiola.
Possible Line-up
Tottenham: Lloris; Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen; Trippier, Sissoko, Eriksen, Alli, Rose; Son, Kane
Man City: Ederson; Danilo, Laporte, Otamendi, Mendy; Gundogan, Fernandinho, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Sterling, Aguero
