MANCHESTER CITY take on Tottenham in the Premier League's standout showdown from the second weekend of action. We asked Tom Love (@TomLove_18) to source the best bets.
Manchester City v Tottenham | Saturday 17th August 2019, 17:30 | Sky Sports
The big game of the weekend takes place on Saturday tea-time with champions Manchester City playing hosts to fellow title hunters Spurs. I say title hunters, the bookies don’t think so with the disparity in prices between the two here. Spurs would have to a have a near faultless season to oust the Citizens off their perch, which is a shame for them as it’s arguably the strongest squad they’ve had in Premier League history.
Pep’s Guardiola's men were ruthless as usual at the London Stadium with their annual swatting aside of West Ham. They were clinical in their final ball, and the speed of movement at times was mesmerising. Riyad Mahrez had an excellent African Nations tournament for eventual winners Algeria in the summer and he was a highlight last week.
City look irresistible and have improved over the summer with Rodri coming in, as well as Joao Cancelo who can offer even more attacking threat from full back, which could be key especially at home. Unfortunately, the bookies seem to have them covered with them going off a-1.5 Asian Handicap here.
But if we delve into the data from last week we can see that the Blue Moon gave up 1.34 Expected Goals (xG) against the Hammers and that will give Spurs some hope. Spurs themselves racked up no fewer than 31 shots last week and they’ll fancy their chances of scoring here. They were frighteningly quick and clinical last season in the Champions League at the Etihad although some key men are missing here, including Dele Alli and Heung Min-Son.
The betting angles
One player that I think will light up the league this season is Tanguy Ndombele who managed to bag on his debut last week. He really does look the complete central midfielder and if we think back to last season he was the star man for Lyon at the Etihad in the Champions League and was one of the only midfielders to override the hosts. He’s very progressive with the ball at his feet but he also has the awareness and vision to get out of the press successfully.
Ndombele will be part of my first selection here as SkyBet go 4/5 that he simply manages at least one shot in the game. That shot can be on or off target, and given the chances City gave up last week and the monstrous volume of shots Spurs recorded that looks a more than fair price on the French international.
Sticking with the shots theme, Betfair go 10/11 that the visitors record three or more shots on-target and I think that will surely give you a run for your money. Harry Kane is one of the most accurate strikers in the league and when you consider City are notorious fast starters, Mauricio Pochettino’s side could be chasing the game from early on.
Ultimately though, I do expect the home side to prevail. They’re clinical and have so many options. The Citizens won 5-0 last week with Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero on the bench for crying out loud. Spurs have problems at the back too, they’ve not replaced Kieran Trippier on the right, Jan Verthongen was a surprise emission and something doesn’t seem right with that. What’s more, Juan Foyth is not fit yet.
Therefore, I’ll take the 17/20 from Coral on a City win and Over 2.5 Goals. I do think Spurs could score but another 5-0 wouldn’t surprise given just how strong the home side are.
Best Bets
Manchester City v Tottenham – Tanguy Ndombele to have 1+ shots (4/5 SkyBet)
Manchester City v Tottenham – Tottenham to have three or more shots on-target (10/11 Betfair)
Manchester City v Tottenham – Man City to win and Over 2.5 Goals (17/20 Coral)
