Tonight Wembley Stadium will host one of the biggest games of the season so far. The result will tell us much about how things might pan out for both teams at the top of the table.
Recent victories for Tottenham have been achieved with performances that can at best be labelled satisfactory against opposition that can rightly be called average. Two one-nil wins against Cardiff and West Ham have kept Spurs in touch at the business end of the table but Manchester City will not be quite such generous opponents. A victory for Mauricio Pochettino's side would see them move up to joint second in the table, above the champions and make recent criticisms of their summer transfer policy (or lack of it) seem rather premature. Even a draw will keep them just two points behind City and only four points off the top of the table. There are, don't forget, still 84 points to play for and Spurs have been strong finishers in recent seasons.
The situation for Pep Guardiola's side is slightly different. This season has begun as though the last one never ended. Already three teams have suffered five-goal defeats at the hands of the champions. Victories have been achieved with the usual flowing, darting, mesmerising swagger and yet this picture is not as clear as it first seems. If you discount the opening day victory against Arsenal (it was, after all, Unai Emery's first game as a manager in English football), then all of City's wins have come against teams currently in the bottom half of the table. The matches away to first Wolverhampton Wanderers and then Liverpool have both ended in draws. It will be interesting to see if City can break down a Spurs teams with sufficient attacking threat to cause them to look over their shoulders from time to time.
I have an affection for Tottenham however complicated and hard-earned it may be. Pochettino broke through at Southampton before leaving for White Hart Lane, he plays attractive football, rarely complains or makes excuses (take note Mark HughesOUT and has done more for the England team than any manager since Alex Ferguson brought through the class of '92. However, it is not just a liking for the Spurs manager that makes me want a home triumph tonight, as a neutral in these things it would just be nice to have a proper title race like the good old days.
Suggested bets, please note this is NOT financial advice, past performance suggests that you swerve these selections entirely, I enter them here solely for the purpose of record keeping.
Tottenham vs Manchester City, 20:00 (UK Time), Monday 29th October.
This is a huge game that Spurs know they must not lose and yet they are an opponent that City must be wary of due to the attacking threat they carry.
Spurs to win (Draw no Bet), 1 point at 4.00 with Betfair Exchange.
Spurs to win 2-1, 0.5 points at 18.00 with Betfair Exchange.
City to win 2-1, 1 point at 9.20 with Betfair Exchange.
Draw 1-1, 1 point at 9.40 with Betfair Exchange.
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