Tottenham host ManCity in an all-English affair

Manuel Veth –

Tottenham vs Manchester City – Tuesday, April 9, 20:00BST/21:00CEST – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England

Tottenham vs Manchester City will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (CC-BY-SA-4.0, Hzh)

It has been over ten years since Tottenham last faced Manchester City in a quarterfinal of a competition. Back in 2007/08 Spurs defeated ManCity 2-0 in the League Cup.

Spurs would move on to win the title in that competition. A positive omen?

It would be a wonderful experience for Tottenham to play their first ever home game in an international competition at their brand new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and win it.

Experience Champions League football live! Book your European football travel now by visiting Nickes.com!

Speaking of the stadium. Massive delays have made the new arena one of the most expensive in the world. While reports claim that the facility cost £850 million there are suggestions that the actual costs were beyond the one billion pound mark in costs.

Time to get back some dividents. Dividends that can be earned by going deep in the Champions League.

Dividends that Manchester City also wants to earn. City, after all, have one of the most expensive squads on the planet. Furthermore, the Citizens have the opportunity win a famous quadruple after beating Brighton & Hove Albion in the semifinal of the FA Cup on Saturday.

“Put it in the headline: almost impossible. Surviving in that stage of the competitions is already a miracle. And still we are there,” Pep Guardiola said after the FA Cup victory.

Whether it is truly a miracle, however, given the endless resources that City possess is a different question. Is Guardiola creating possible excuses should City fail to win the quadruble?

Without a doubt against Tottenham City will be the favourites even if they have never beaten English opposition in four previous European encounters. But Tottenham are no Liverpool and City have been ruthless at times this season.

Tottenham vs Manchester City – Players to look out for:

Danny Rose #3 – Tottenham Hotspur

England left-back Rose, 28, “can’t wait to see the back” of the game because of the lack of action on fans’ racism. It was a statement that to a certain extent shook the English footballing world. The statement came off the back of England’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro. The left-back said: “When countries get fined what I probably spend on a night out in London what do you expect?” Rose’s statements could have also targeted several other football clubs and associations and turned heads with the footballing world taking note. It was a brave statement and as a result, Rose is our player to watch in this game.

Danny Rose of England looks on during the 2020 UEFA European Championships group A qualifying match between Montenegro and England at Podgorica City Stadium on March 25, 2019 in Podgorica, Montenegro. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Leroy Sané #19 – Manchester City

German clubs might be out of the Champions League. But there is still plenty of German star power in Europe’s premier competition. One of those star names is Leroy Sané. The winger has recently been fantastic for Germany’s national team against the Netherlands and could be an important piece in Germany muscling their way back into the very top of the world game. For City, Sané is already a key player by scoring nine goals and ten assists in 26 EPL games.

Leroy Sané of Manchester City takes the ball past Ralf Faehrmann of FC Schalke 04 and scores a goal which is later ruled offside during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City v FC Schalke 04 at Etihad Stadium on March 12, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Tottenham vs Manchester City – Match Stats

• In 156 competitive meetings, City have won 61 to Spurs’ 60, with 35 draws – although City have won the last three fixtures between the sides.
• In English domestic knockout football, Spurs have won nine of the teams’ 14 ties – including five of the last six.
• This is Spurs’ fourth all-English European tie, but a first in 46 years, since an away-goals defeat by Liverpool in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup semi-final (0-1 a, 2-1 h). That made Spurs’ two-legged record against English clubs W1 L2.
• City have played four previous games against English clubs in European competition, and lost them all. Indeed, Gabriel Jesus’s early goal in the quarter-final second leg against Liverpool 12 months ago is the only one they have managed in those four fixtures, with seven conceded.
• In addition to last season’s defeat by Liverpool, City were also beaten by eventual winners Chelsea in the 1970/71 European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-finals, losing 1-0 both away and at home.

Futbolgrad Network Prediction: Tottenham vs Manchester City – 1-2

Tottenham vs Manchester City – Lineups

Tottenham Hotspur:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Lloris – Davis, Verthongen, Alderweireld, Trippier – Sissoko, Alli – Rose, Eriksen, Son – Kane

Head Coach: Mauricio Pochettino

Manchester City:

Formation: 4-3-3

Ederson – Mendy, Laporte, Stones, Walker – De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gündogan – Sané, Agüero, Sterling

Head Coach: Pep Guardiola

Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and among others contributes to Forbes.com and Pro Soccer USA. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which is available HERE. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada.  Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.