All the latest team news, injury updates, and expected starting lineups for Tottenham’s fourth-round FA Cup match against Manchester City.
Is there a more unpleasant responsibility in English football than hosting Manchester City in FA Cup? Maybe not. Tottenham Hotspur will face the same hardship on Friday evening, with Postecoglou’s side aware that a defeat would kill their most realistic chance of silverware this season.
Spurs defeated Burnley in the third round of the competition thanks to a Pedro Porro wonder strike, and they have lost only one of their last seven games in all competitions. They also have an extraordinarily good record against the champions, losing only once in their last five encounters with Pep Guardiola‘s team.
For their part, City defeated Huddersfield Town in the third round and have not experienced defeat in any form since December 6th, when they fell to Aston Villa in the Premier League. But how will the two sides line up in North London on Friday night? We took a closer look at their individual team news and expected starting lineups below…
Tottenham Team News
Tottenham now have reasons to be optimistic about their injury situation for the first time in what feels like ages. James Maddison, the club’s creative linchpin, is said to be back in full training and may even be fit to play on Friday night, while Dejan Kulusevski is expected to return after recovering from an illness. In a press conference on Thursday, manager Ange Postecoglou stated: “Dejan Kulusevksi has recovered from his illness, and Madders has been training with us.” He enjoyed a full training week and is in a good spot. We’re getting the numbers back up.”
Ben Davies and Ryan Sessegnon might return, while teenage attacker Dane Scarlett, who is unlikely to play much, is also reaching match fitness.
There is, however, less positive news for Alejo Veliz, Manor Solomon, and Giovani Lo Celso, all of whom are expected to miss out due to various complaints. In terms of injury, the trio are Spurs’ only definite concerns, though Postecoglou is also expected to be without Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, and Son Heung-min, with the former two abroad at the African Cup of Nations and the latter on international duty at the Asian Cup.
Spurs Predicted XI
Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Mickey van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, James Maddison; Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Timo Werner.
Manchester City Team News
By comparison, Manchester City has a pretty clean bill of health. The two players who are scheduled to miss Friday’s journey to the capital are Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland, with the Norwegian attacker still recovering from a foot injury. Guardiola stated on Thursday: “He’s on the edge of returning. Tomorrow, he is still not ready, but he is getting near. He has participated in some training sessions over the last two days. It’s not perfect, so we’ll wait a little longer.”
However, there is good news for John Stones and Ederson, as both players are expected to start against Tottenham. City is also fortunate to have no players away on international duty this month.
Manchester City Predicted XI
Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake; Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne; Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Jeremy Doku.
Leave a Comment