Paul Merson has now predicted which team will come out on top between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
As Pep Guardiola and Ange Postecoglou’s sides face off in a much-awaited affair, the pundit previewed the clash for Sportskeeda and also gave his final score.
Currently, Manchester City are one point behind Arsenal in second place in the Premier League table, while Tottenham Hotspur are sitting in fifth place.
Paul Merson makes Manchester City vs Tottenham prediction
In November, Micky van de Ven had admitted that he was relishing the chance to lock horns with Erling Haaland, whom he hailed as “the best striker in the world.”
Ange Postecoglou also praised Pep Guardiola in July, crediting him for having had an “unbelievable influence on football.”
With Manchester City now getting ready to face Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium, Paul Merson can see the hosts run riot in a 4-0 thrashing of the visitors.
“With the number of injuries Tottenham have got, there’s no way they’re beating City. I’d be worried going into this game if I were a Spurs fan. They might cause City a few problems on the break but if they leave themselves open like they did last weekend, they will be in trouble”, Merson told Sportskeeda.
“I think if Tottenham were up to full strength, this would be game on. Spurs’ problem is that most of their sidelined stars are starters. That’s very unfortunate. I think Ange Postecoglou is going to stick to his principle and that’s going to cost him and his side dearly against City.”
Manchester City would have been the outright favourites in any case
While Paul Merson makes a fair point about an injury-ridden Tottenham side being in a much weaker position to give Manchester City a good game, the truth is that the latter would still have been overwhelming favourites heading into the contest.
While the Sky Blues are yet to fire on all cylinders this campaign, in our view, they remain the best team in the world.
Off the back of a spirited comeback victory against RB Leipzig, City will be hoping to put in yet another statement performance against Spurs.
As Merson pointed out, if Tottenham are as open as they have been structurally throughout the season, Manchester City could have a field day.
Especially Erling Haaland, who thrives in transition due to his searing pace and one-of-a-kind physicality.
But this can also be said for the likes of Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish, who could also have the games of their lives if they are given far too much space going forward to exploit on the break.
As a result, regardless of the circumstances at play, Pep Guardiola and Co. would have been fancied to get the all-important three points against the North London giants.
