Manchester City vs Tottenham: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview

Manchester City delivered one of the most convincing performances in the first round of action in the 2025-26 Premier League season with a dominant 4-0 win over Wolverhampton. Despite enduring a slow start, Pep Guardiola’s men were clinical in front of goal and didn’t waste time to show their contending credentials.

However, repeating that kind of performance against Tottenham would further strengthen their intention of showing they’re ready to challenge for the title after a summer rebuild in terms of transfers. The Spurs got off to a winning start against Burnley and came minutes away from winning the 2025 UEFA SuperCup, so their start to life under Thomas Frank has had more positives than negatives so far.

Pep Guardiola Looking to Build Off Impressive Debut

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to emphasizing how dominant Manchester City were in their victory over Wolverhampton at Molineux this past weekend. The Cityzens used a brace from Erling Haaland, plus goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, to cruise to an easy win. It was a victory in which City edged their rivals 2.46 to 0.56 in the Expected Goals metric (xG) while also accruing 58 percent of possession.

Don’t expect Manchester City to make too many changes ahead of this matchup against Tottenham, as Guardiola was reportedly pleased with the team’s overall performance. City already had shown glimpses of their attacking talent in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, where they scored 16 goals in four matches. If they keep this up in most matches this season, very few teams in the Premier League will be able to slow them down.

Manchester City Injury & Suspension News

As outlined above, Guardiola isn’t expected to make too many changes to the starting lineup. He could very well repeat the same XI from the season opener at Molineux. This means Rayan Cherki would once again come off the bench. As for the injured and doubtful players, Josko Gvardiol (undisclosed), Rodri (groin), Phil Foden (ankle) and Savinho (undisclosed) are all considered to be game-time decisions. Mateo Kovacic is out due to an Achilles problem.

Spurs Looking to Pull the Upset?

The Spurs had to work harder than expected to open their 2025-26 league campaign with a victory, but in the end, they secured a 3-0 win over Burnley. Thomas Frank is slowly implementing his philosophy at a new club, and the early returns have been positive. They were only a few minutes away from pulling the upset against PSG in the UEFA SuperCup, and they’re going to win far more games than they’ll lose if they’re able to play at that level consistently.

However, the Spurs are clear underdogs ahead of this matchup against Manchester City, as City seem to be unstoppable on offense once again. One thing that could boost Tottenham’s chances in this game is their recent record in H2H history against the Citizens. The Spurs won their previous meeting at the Etihad Stadium by a convincing 4-0 score, and they’ve also won five of their last 10 games against City across all competitions (TOT: W5, D1, L4).

Tottenham Injury & Suspension News

Yves Bissouma (not injury related) and Destiny Udogie (knee) are listed as game-time calls for Saturday, though their availability is uncertain. The team will have several absentees as well. The list includes Manor Salomon (undisclosed), Kota Takai (foot), Bryan Gil (knee), Radu Dragusin (knee), Dejan Kulusevski (knee) and James Maddison (knee).

Manchester City vs Tottenham Prediction

The Cityzens are expected to be clear favorites ahead of this matchup if they’re able to repeat the same performance they delivered against Wolverhampton. However, they’ll face a more complicated challenge in Tottenham, and the Spurs have showcased an interesting offensive line in their first two competitive matches in 2025-26. Based on how good both clubs have looked in the final third so far, a scenario in which both teams find the back of the net seems entirely plausible.

CryptoGamba tip: Both teams to score – 1.61 @ Stake