please log in to view this image Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 24th November 2013 (KO 13:30) in the 12th round of Premier League matches in the 2013-14 season. City come into the match in eighth place in the Premier League on 19 points with Spurs in seventh place on 20 points. This will be the 147th time the two teams have met. The first meeting came on 16th January 1909 in the FA Cup 1st round (today's 3rd round) at Hyde Road in Ardwick (City's original name) in a match which Spurs won 4-3. The first League meeting came in the First Division in December 1910 at White Hart Lane and resulted in a 1-1 draw. Walter Tull, who was the first black outfield footballer to play League football scored Tottenham's goal. City won the reverse fixture in January 1911 2-1. All the League meetings between Spurs and City up to season 1934-35 took place in the First Division. The clubs were drawn together in the 1913-14 FA Cup 2nd round with City wining 2-1 at Hyde Road (City would move to Maine Road in 1923 and stay there for the next 80 years) and also met in the 1921-22 FA Cup 3rd round with FA Cup holders Tottenham beating City 2-1 at White Hart Lane. The only League meetings between the clubs outside the Top Flight took place either side of the Second World War with City winning both Second Division matches in the 1938-39 season and taking three points out of four off Spurs in the Second Division matches played in 1946-47. Spurs and City resumed their Top Flight meetings in the 1951-52 season. The clubs contested the 1956 FA Cup Semi-Final at Villa Park with City winning 1-0 with a goal scored by Bobby Johnstone. City would go on to win the FA Cup that season, beating Birmingham City 3-1 in the Final at Wembley. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City contested the centenary FA Cup Final in 1981. The match finished in a 1-1 draw after extra time after Tommy Hutchison had put City ahead but also scored an unfortunate own goal. The replay was the first to be played at Wembley and Spurs won 3-2 with a brace from Ricky Villa and a goal from Garth Crooks. City goals were scored by Steve MacKenzie and Kevin Reeves. Ricky Villa's second goal was voted Goal of the Century and the match is one of the best remembered Finals of all-time. The first of three Football League Cup meetings came in the 1992 3rd Round with Spurs winning 1-0 at Maine Road with a Vinny Samways goal. Tottenham also won the other two matches - a 4th Round match in 2003 3-1 and a 5th round match in 2007 2-0. City had an amazing comeback in the 2004 FA Cup 4th Round replay at White Hart Lane after going three goals down to goals from Ledley King, Robbie Keane and Christian Ziege in the first half. City, who had been reduced to ten men after Joey Barton received a second yellow card, scored four second half goals from Sylvain Distin, Paul Bosvelt, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jonathan Macken to win a memorable game 4-3. Both Spurs and City were founder-members of the Premier League, although City have only competed in 17 of the 22 seasons played in the competition so far, while Spurs have been one of seven ever-present clubs. Spurs have generally had the upper hand during this era with nineteen wins to City's five wins and five matches drawn. In fact, City have only won three times in the past 17 meetings between the clubs in all competitions. In 2009-10, Spurs did the 'double' over City with a 3-0 win at the Lane with goals from Nico Kranjcar (2) and Jermain Defoe followed by a vital 1-0 end of season win at Eastlands, which secured fourth place and Champions League football for Spurs thanks to a Peter Crouch goal. The 2010-11 fixtures featured an opening day of the season match at White Hart Lane which finished in a 0-0 draw and a late season game at Eastlands which City won 1-0 thanks to a Peter Crouch own goal. During the summer of 2011, Spurs secured the services of Manchester City's Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a season's loan. The match at White Hart Lane in August 2011 ended in a comprehensive 5-1 win to Manchester City with Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko scoring four goals for the visitors, who were 2-0 up at half-time. Sergio Aguero also scored for City while Tottenham's goal came from Younes Kaboul. The game at Etihad Stadium in January 2012 resulted in a 3-2 win for Manchester City. After a goalless first half, City scored twice through Samir Nasri and Joleon Lescott before Spurs made things level with goals from Jermain Defoe on the hour mark and Gareth Bale five minutes later. But a last minute penalty from Mario Balotelli secured the points for the home side. Emmanuel Adebayor made his move permanent to Spurs during the summer of 2012. The teams met in Manchester in November 2012 and a Steven Cauker header put Spurs ahead after 21 minutes. City equalised through Sergio Aguero in the 65th minute and substitute Edin Dzeko secured the three points for the home side two minutes before the match ended. Spurs beat City 3-1 in April 2013 with Clint Dempsey, Jermain Defoe & Gareth Bale all scoring for Spurs and Samir Nasri scoring for City. Overall, Spurs have won 58 games, City have won 54 games and the remaining 34 matches played have been drawn. please log in to view this image Complete Results of Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City Matches 1909-2014 please log in to view this image They Played for Spurs & City.... Emmanuel Adebayor Clive Allen (Player with both clubs, Spurs development manager) Jamie Atwell Kevin Bond (City player, Spurs asst manager) Ivor Broadis Michael Brown Jock Chaplin Vedran Corluka Bill Felton Márton Fülöp Foster Hedley Chris Jones Neil McNab Bobby Mimms Joe Moffatt John Sainty (Spurs player, City coach) Bert Sproston Alex Steel Paul Stewart Perry Suckling (City player, Spurs coach) Ben Thatcher Paul Walsh Charlie Williams Clive Wilson Alex Young please log in to view this image Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Player's Squad Numbers 1993-94 to 2013-14 Manchester City Premier League Player's Squad Numbers 1993-94 to 2013-14 please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
If we win against City and Utd then AVB will have the fans back on side, if we lose both then it will be the end of our top 4 hopes imo.
Am expecting aguero to run us ragged but maybe this will be one of them games where a new star comes to prominence, Lamela? Just it would help if he is picked or called off the bench.
They looked bereft of ideas coming up against a stubborn defence yesterday. They pretty much embodied what AVB's been getting criticised for, as did Arsenal come to think of it. There's definitely a result there if we play well enough, City might be better at home but we're better away so it's a tough one to call. I think we need to start Lennon for this one, the little guy is made for playing on the counter in tough games like this.
For some reason they tend to look like that away from home, at home they play a completely different game, but have also lost away games where they have played attacking football but the opposition score with their only chance or two. Also Zabelta has been marked as a weak link for away games, yet plays at home because he offers more in attack. City also have fighters like Toure so we won't be able to bully City, like we did Newcastle yesterday. Can't see us winning but of course a draw is always possible.
The only good thing i can think of for this game is that i can't watch it. Good luck boys, gonna need it.
If they start with the likes of Kolorov, Demichelis and Javi Garcia again I think we've got a great chance.
I've dropped Zabaleta from my fantasy team - so they'll keep a clean sheet and Zabaleta will get a goal and two assists...
I think there could be a strong case for setting up in the toughest away games like this one with Sandro and Paulinho sitting, Holtby at no.10 and Lennon on the right with Townsend on the left. Holtby works hard in a strong pressing game high up the pitch, plenty of pace on the wings to counter and we're solid in the middle. The likelihood of this happening of course is very low as this would involve (shock horror) a left footer on the left and a right footer in the right! What devilry is that!? I might even accept Dembele starting as he is quite the physical beast and his propensity to pass the ball safely sideways and physical strength means he is usually very good at retaining the ball (not yesterday though...), although on balance I'd rather have Paulinho as he's more likely to burst into the box on the end of a counter attack but still offers us a measure of destructiveness alongside Sandro, who he seems to work quite well with. I know people are wanting Lamela to start getting game time but I feel that this game perhaps isn't the one to throw him into if we're going to go with a physical, hardworking counterattacking team. Perhaps United at home might be his time if we're going for a semi-wildcard player. I guess its all a bit up in the air anyway until after the internationals when we'll know who is injured or not and we'll see if anyone has a stormer for their country.
Paul Stewart City are so very strong at home, yet so easily bullied away. Strange. This is one game where I would advocate AVB's usual tqctics, playing narrow with his inverted wingers and Holtby doing a lot of running about in place of the more creative Eriksen. Stifling them in midfield might get you a 0-0.
We're not alone with "the clueless one".........http://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=293148
Start will both Sandro and Capoue and Citeh will need a Funeral Director rather than a trainer. Oh yeah, just before kick-off tell Sandro that Augero has been calling him a Brazilian iron hoof, that should do the trick.
The only hope we've got is that City have been under performing to an even greater degree than Spurs have this season. But as City are at home, I fully expect us to get spanked.
If we'd beaten Newcastle, I'd be in favor of the same team as played against Everton. The problem is, we really need three points in the two games versus the Mancs. Add to that the likely reaction to negative tactics, and I'm not sure the better course isn't to gamble on starting Lamela, and taking the admittedly long odds of going for a win. I'm trying to remember what we did when we played at Old Trafford last year (sorry, Luke). It seems to me we had Jan at fullback, and a very talented left footer scoring from the right (or was it the center?). Paulinho Sandro Lamela Holtby Lennon/Eriksen Soldado But now I've left out Dembele, who always seems to shine against the best teams...
Can't see us getting anything from this unless AVB gives the lads freedom to attack. I think attacking City would be far better off than playing defensive against them, their strike force is too good to fully keep out on their own turf, have a go at them and it might surprise them. Their defence without Kompany is beatable. Lloris, Walker, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose (he must be fit by then surely?!) Sandro, Paulinho Lamela, Eriksen, Townsend Soldado Skill and pace on the wings, creativity behind the striker, Sandro to eat the opposition and Paulinho to run around. It could work if we go at them. If we don't and play the lame style we've come to expect, 4-1 City in my opinion. If we go there and attack, I could see us nicking it 2-1 or 3-2.
It's been a very interesting fixture whether at home or away in recent seasons hasn't it? We beat them 3-0 to mark the end of Hughes and then we beat them to get the CL. Then they beat us to get the CL. We were 0-1 ahead until the final few minutes and lost. Then we were 2-0 down, came back to 2-2 and Defoe's horrible miss which could have won it 2-3 and then they score. We beat them last season what 3-1 was it? This is why I don't think we can write ourselves out of this match.
