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Match Preview and Team News as Tottenham travel to Manchester City in Game Week Two

Match Preview and Team News as Tottenham travel to Manchester City in Game Week Two

Oliver Powell
Oliver Powell
AUG 22, 2025

Following convincing opening day wins for both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, the sides meet at the Etihad Stadium at 12:30 on Saturday in a testing fixture early in the season.

Opening day demolitions

Pep Guardiola's side showed no hesitation in jumping to the top of the table with a 4-0 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Heir to the Kevin De Bruyne throne Tijjani Reijnders stole the headlines, with a goal and an assist on his Premier League debut, whilst Erling Haaland made it business as usual opening his 2025/26 account with a brace.

The Citizens couldn't quite emulate their incredible high standards last campaign, but Guardiola sides very rarely dip for too long, with the Spaniard only failing to win the domestic title in four of his 16 seasons as a manager.

Despite the absences of Rodri, Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho, and Ederson City made very easy work of their trip to Molineux and expectation will be high for that to continue in their home opener against Spurs.

For Thomas Frank's side the on-pitch performances should provide plenty of encouragement that this season will be better than the 17th place the Lilywhites managed last time out.

A 3-0 victory over Burnley provided plenty of positives, no more so than the confident-looking Richarlison putting away two highly impressive finishes, created by new boy Mohammed Kudus.

Despite his career in North London being plagued by injury, Richarlison appears to be in his best place as a Spurs player, with his manager instilling public confidence in the Brazilian.

Frank said: "Right now he is my starting nine. He scored two top goals. Richy wants to stay, I want to keep him and there's no talks about anything else."

Whilst he only managed four league starts last season, Richarlison has always appeared a player who needs confidence and reassurance from those around him, and if Frank continues to put his trust in the 28-year-old Spurs fans will hope consistent performances can be produced to justify the Ā£50 million transfer fee paid in 2022.

Who's available?

Pep Guardiola has provided the latest on his injury list, with two big positives for City as Rodri and Phil Foden return to the squad after missing the opening day trip to Wolves.

Guardiola confirmed Savinho remains absent amid speculation over a potential move to Saturday's opponents, as well as Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic who will miss out due to injury.

Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson is available for selection despite heavy rumours of a move to Galatasaray, but Guardiola did not confirm whether he would be in the starting 11 over new arrival James Trafford.

As for Spurs, Destiny Udogie has edged closer to a return to selection but will not quite be ready for the trip to Manchester, whilst Yves Bissouma will also miss out due to injury.

Thomas Frank confirmed Dejan Kulusevski remains a long-term absentee following his kneecap surgery in May, but the Dane did not want to put a time frame on Kulusevski's recovery.

Previous Meetings

The sides met three times last season, with Spurs coming out on top twice, including a memorable 4-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium last November.

The hero of that day James Maddison won't be involved, and City manager Guardiola was quick to dismiss any suggestion of revenge following the drubbing they suffered in this fixture last season.

Guardiola said: " It's just another opportunity, revenge makes no sense. Spurs has always been a tough opponent for us but this is a new season. What happened in the past is the past."

In what is an undeniably glittering career, Guardiola has found Spurs to be a regular bump in the road despite the revolving door that is Tottenham's managerial seat.

Guardiola has of course won more than he's lost against Spurs, but nine defeats despite the gap in quality over his years in the Premier League attest to the problems the Lilywhites cause his sides.

As for this current Tottenham side, Thomas Frank may look to revert to a similar set up he deployed in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, with an acceptance of less possession but utilising set-pieces and direct play to ensure Spurs are productive when opportunities arise.

Ghanian star Kudus has demonstrated how key he will be to Frank's side, with his ability to hold onto the ball and create space out of nothing proving to be a pivotal outlet in both his appearances for the club so far.

Frank's 2-1 victory over Guardiola's City in 2022, the first of a league double for Brentford that season, may provide a template of how the new Spurs boss will set up to harm Manchester City and their ball-dominant style of play.

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