Tottenham Refocus on the Premier League as Manchester City Visit North London

Spurs look to reset league form against title-chasing City

Tottenham turn their attention back to the Premier League in the coming weeks after finishing in the Champions League top eight, alongside Manchester City, who remain active on four competitive fronts this season.

Team news and form

Pressure continues to mount on Thomas Frank, despite the Spurs boss describing midweek qualification for the Champions League last 16 as an “incredible” achievement. A 2-0 victory away at Eintracht Frankfurt secured Tottenham a break from European action until mid-March, offering a timely opportunity to refocus on a faltering domestic campaign.

Spurs enter this round following five league games without a win (D3, L2) and sit eight points clear of the relegation zone. Their struggles at home have been particularly alarming, owning the second-worst home record in the division (W2, D3, L6). With seven of the current top seven contributing to five of those setbacks (D1, L4), the visit of Manchester City is far from ideal.

City manager Pep Guardiola has been vocal about the growing strain of the football calendar, so he will welcome the fact that a 2-0 win over Galatasaray in midweek secured Champions League progression and avoided a February play-off round. That allows City to place renewed focus on the league, where they trail leaders Arsenal by four points.

Last weekend’s 2-0 home win against Wolves ended a four-game league winless run (D3, L1), but inconsistency on the road has been costly. City’s away record this season (W5, D2, L4) explains why their title defence has not gone entirely to plan — and tightening that up is essential if they are to keep Arsenal under real pressure.

Head-to-head

Tottenham claimed a 2-0 victory in August, but despite beating City four times in a row at home between 2020 and 2023 without conceding, the pendulum has swung back. City have won their last two Premier League visits to this stadium, both with clean sheets.

Stats and trends

• Both teams have scored in nine of Tottenham’s last 13 league matches.
  
• Spurs have led at half-time in just four of their last 21 Premier League games.
  
• City have opened the scoring in a record 18 league matches this season.
  
• Fewer than 2.5 goals have been scored in each of City’s last five league games.
  

One to watch and absences

After returning from injury in midweek, João Palhinha quickly picked up a familiar yellow card — he has now been booked in four of his last five Spurs appearances.

For City, Omar Marmoush continues his remarkable scoring streak, winning six consecutive matches in which he has found the net, most recently opening the scoring against Wolves.

Tottenham remain without Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven, who both missed Wednesday’s match through injury. City’s growing injury list worsened further with Jérémy Doku sidelined after picking up a problem midweek.