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Everything to Know about Manchester City vs. Tottenham: Schedule, How to Watch
Pep Guardiola’s club desperately needs a big win against the team that started their four-match losing streak.
Coming into this season with four straight Premier League titles to their credit, it's almost taken for granted that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City squad, paced by scoring machine Erling Haaland and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, will roll over the competition.
Instead, after an uncharacteristically tepid stretch, they find themselves desperate for a win to steady themselves and avoid falling further behind a resurgent Liverpool, who are five points clear at this early stage of the season.
City, in the midst of a four-game losing streak in all competitions are limping literally and figuratively into a Week 12 showdown with a Tottenham Hotspur side against whom they began this stretch of futility with a 2-1 loss in the Carabao Cup on October 30.
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City has struggled in the wake of the season-ending injury to Rodri in September, the highest profile casualty on a medical list that could fill out a Starting XI lineup card. The players haven’t been helped by having had to play 18 games across all competitions this early in the season, including the Champions League and Carabao Cup, tied for most among Premier League clubs.
Man City, fresh off a 2-1 upset to Brighton & Hove Albion, needs to right the ship quickly, as a pivotal December 1 showdown with Liverpool at Anfield looms.
Tottenham is under pressure of its own after an ugly 2-1 loss to before the international break to Ipswich Town, gifting the relegation-zone-hovering opponent their first win of the season. Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs are mired in 10th place in the table, a disappointing spot considering the club finished in fifth at the end of last season, earning a berth in the Europa League.
Two teams with their backs against the wall add up to one heck of a potential match.
Where and When to Watch Manchester City vs. Tottenham
The match kicks off Saturday, November 23 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, and will be broadcast on NBC, Peacock, and Universo.
Manchester City News: Pep Guardiola era to continue
Guardiola may be mired in the worst stretch of his 15-year managerial career, but Manchester City locked their “gaffer” in for at least another season. The 53-year-old Catalan tactician has agreed to a one-year contract extension to continue his record-breaking run with the club.
Under Guardiola’s stewardship, which began in the summer of 2016, Man City has won six Premier League titles, including the last four in a row. He led City to the first Champions League title in club history in 2023. The club also notched six other trophies during the Guardiola era, giving him a case as one of the greatest managers to ever coach the sport.
There was some speculation that Guardiola has felt he accomplished all there was to achieve with Manchester City, particularly with the need for some sort of rebuild looming due to the age and contract status of some of his core players. That, however, will be a worry postponed for at least another year.
Tottenham News: Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur hit with ban over racial slur
Heading into an important game against Manchester City this weekend, Tottenham will be without one of its best two-way players. Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was hit with a seven-game ban and hefty fine for a racial slur he made during a TV interview over the summer in his native Uruguay. The comment was made in reference to his South Korean teammate on the Spurs, Son Heung-min.
The 27-year-old Bentancur made an ill-conceived joke that Son could be confused with his cousin, “as they all look the same,” evoking an Asian stereotype, according to reports. A social media clip of the offending interview on the “Por La Camesta” show, for which Bentacur has since apologized, caught the attention of the Football Association, leading to a probe. The ban does not affect Bentancur’s ability to play for Spurs in Europa League matches.
The absence of Bentantcur, who scored the club’s lone goal in the loss against Ipswich Town, will be felt in the Tottenham midfield on Sunday.
Who Are the Tottenham and Manchester City Stars to Watch
Manchester City: Manchester City is poised to get a boost from the return of midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to the starting XI after sitting out a game for Belgium during the international break, a concession as he’s being slowly eased back from his September injury. The 33-year-old is still a midfield maestro and could get a slumping offense back on track.
Premier League scoring leader Haaland may be the biggest beneficiary. The human highlight reel is mired in a cold streak, having scored only two goals in his last six league matches after scoring nine in the first five. The striker, just 24 years of age, became Norway’s leading goal scorer last month, breaking a record that stood for 87 years. When he gets going, he’s virtually unstoppable.
Phil Foden is also expected to play Sunday after an injury scare in his last game. The 24-year-old English midfielder has struggled this campaign with just one assist in eight games, but earned the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award at the end of last season for a reason. He notched 19 goals and 11 assists last campaign, and has plenty of potential yet to tap.
Tottenham: Forward Son Heung-min continues to be the engine that drives the Spurs offense – as he has been for the past decade. The 32-year-old South Korean superstar is off to a slow start with just three goals and three assists in what is rumored to be his last campaign with the club. Even at his age, he has shown little decline in his legendary footspeed and creative improvisation. He scored 17 goals and added 10 assists last season to pace the team in both categories.
Dejan Kulusevski was a scourge for Manchester City during Tottenham’s win in the Carabao Cup tilt between the teams three weeks ago. The 24-year-old midfielder was all over the field, with two assists to lead the attack. The Swedish national team captain is also fresh off a dominant performance for his country in a 6-0 rout of Azerbaijan over the international break in which he notched two goals and an assist. Kulusevski also won’t be intimidated by the Manchester City home crowd as he has thrived in his three appearances at Etihad Stadium. He has notched three goals and two assists in those three games.
Brennan Johnson is also showing signs this season of a breakout campaign. The 23-year-old Welsh striker is tied for the team lead with four goals. He is versatile and talented.
