Premier League is finally getting kick-started to its 2021-22 edition this weekend after a long international break spanning over two months which saw the successful staging of the Euros 2021 and the Copa America. Football fans all around can’t wait to have one of the most competitive and popular leagues of the world back into action. And this season is starting off with a heavyweight clash between the giants of London with the citizens of Manchester. Tottenham Hotspurs welcome Manchester City to the White Hart Lane to play their first match of the season. It promises to be an enthralling and eventful match that can lit up Sunday night.
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Spurs would be looking to take revenge for the loss against their bitter rivals in the finals of the CarabaoCup. They must be searching for a win under new manager Nuno and it can’t get better if it comes against City.
City also might be looking forward to recovering from their loss in the CommunityShield final to Leicester and aim for a fresh start in the league as the defending champions. They definitely don’t want to lose points early on in the league and so would be hunting for a win.
Let’s see who gets the better of the other in this mouthwatering clash of the European Giants in the PremierLeague.
Why to watch out for
There is absolutely no reason in the world that can stop you from watching this high voltage fixture. Two of the best teams in the PL are playing against each other in the opening matchweek itself. It’s indeed a huge delight to watch the London Giants squaring off against the Blues of Manchester so early. Tottenham will be looking to get over a disastrous previous season and aim for fresh starts under new coach Nuno. They have a lot of talented faces in the squad who provide an excellent blend of youth and experience. It remains to be seen whether the Eagles can get to a decent start to the season against City.
The Citizens, on the other hand, are the defending champions and will be fighting for the crown this year too. They have a great squad depth in them and are serious contenders for the title once again. Pep Guardiola exactly knows how to pocket these big matches with some of his incredible tactics. Frankly speaking, we are greatly excited to see how Tottenham fares under Nuno. In the same way, we are equally thrilled to see how the city starts its campaign against a tough opponent. The match is slated to start at 21:00 IST or 15:30 GMT.
Spurs
The North Londoners had a poor last season in Premier League. Where they finished seventh on the League table. With interim coach Ryan Mason ousted, Spurs will be hoping to usher in a new era when under former Wolves Boss. They have acquired some quality new signings such as Cristian Romero, Bryan Gill, and others. It seems that this season is going to be a make-or-break season for them to at least win a major silverware once.
The Eagles are coming onto this match on the back of a 1-0 win against Arsenal in the pre-season friendly. Son Heung-Min scored the decisive goal in that match which turned out to be a cagey fixture later on. Spurs have really got some nice results in their practice games and will be aiming to replicate the same onfield.
As of now, a cloud of uncertainty is looming over the availability of some players. Nuno Espirito Santo might be without the services of new signings Cristian Romero and Bryan Gil. Star striker HarryKane is also doubtful for the fixture as his future is still unresolved regarding his transfer to City. Until now, there are no known other injury cases in the squad.
Predicted Lineups
GK- Lloris
Defence- Regulion Dier Sanchez Tanganga
Midfield – Celso,Hojberg, Alli
Attack – Lucas Moura ,Bergwjin, Son Heung-Min
Key Players to look out for
Son Heung-Min
The South Korean forward has been sensational for Spurs over the years in matters of providing goals for the team upfront. He has been their most consistent man after Harry Kane and has contributed largely to Spurs’ winning causes. Once again, it will be a test of the striker’s efficacy against a strong defense like the city. If Kane remains absent, Nuno will wholly depend upon him to get the much-needed goals for them.
Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg
The Danish midfielder has been one of the few positives for the Eagles in their previous EPL campaign. He is the leader of the midfield and controls their game fully from his natural position. His creativity and defensive attributes are invaluable assets to them. Just coming in from a dream run at the Euros, Hojbjerg would be looking to continue the same form at the club level. The duel between him and Rodri could potentially decide the outcome of the match.
Head to Head
In the 164 encounters in the Premier League that the clubs have been engaged to date, the citizens enjoy a slight advantage in it. Manchester City has won 65 of the total matches. Their compatriots have recorded 63 wins while 36 games have ended in a stalemate.
In the most recent clash between these two sides, City brushed aside Spurs in the CarabaoCup final to lift the trophy. Aymeric Laporte scored the deciding goal from a KevinDeBruyne corner and it made City EFL champions for the fourth consecutive time.
Manchester City
The Blues of Manchester are fresh from winning last year’s domestic double, getting both the Premier League and CarabaoCup. Most importantly, they beat Tottenham in the finals to win the Carabao cup last year. No wonder that along with domestic glories, Pep Guardiola would also dearly want a European trophy in his trophy cabinet.
They got Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a record £97.5 M in pursuit of that. It will be universally accepted by all that they now have the most complete squad in the Premier League. With all these elements of technicality going in the City’s favor, it will be captivating to watch them compete for the title this year.
Though with such greatness on pen and paper, the Manchester-based outfit is playing this match after suffering a very disheartening loss to Leicester in the Community Shield Final. A penalty goal from Kelechi Iheanacho in the dying moments of the match was enough to send City packing all the way. The city players were a bit more error-prone than their counterparts. Now moving onto the actual competition from the pre-season practice games, it will be seen how much they have rectified their mistakes.
For Manchester City, the players who were involved in the euro finals are doubtful for the clash to some extent. Raheem Sterling, John Stones, and Kyle walker all remain in the position of bother. Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden are already ruled out of the fixture owing to injuries. Ederson Moraes and Gabriel Jesus also participated in the Copa to and the participation of both players remains smoky. Apart from this, there are no injuries in the team
Predicted Lineups
GK – Ederson
Defense – Cancelo Stones Dias Walker
Midfield – Rodri , Gundgoan, B.Silva
Attack – Grealish, Ferran, Torres Maharez
Key Players to look out for
Jack Grealish
If anyone is said to name the most talented, promising, and creative player in the PL right now, it’s none other than Jack Grealish. His stats over the years are a testimony to why he is rated so highly in this competitive league. His big-money transfer to Manchester City didn’t surprise anyone, rather it almost made Manchester City the invincible ones in the league. Jack’s ability to rip apart defenses by dint of his dribbling is something which most managers seek off. Against Spurs, he will be their main man to create a flurry of chances in the box and shiver opposition defense.
Ruben Dias
The most standout player of Manchester City’s 2020-21 title-winning campaign was Ruben Dias. He has taken him defending to another level which some can even dream of only. Such was his dominancy with John Stones that the deadly duo was on a streak of 13 matches without conceding. He might not have the best of Euros in Portugal jersey, but he is a different beast in city Jersey. Guardiola would definitely want his wall of the defense to come good against the spurs and providing the defensive stability well.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, from all aspects, this clash is going to be an enthralling and absorbing one. Two giants of the premier league are going head to head and expecting a competitive match from them definitely makes sense. Both the teams will be aiming for a perfect start to their season and this makes the fixture even more enticing. Expect a fierce encounter to occur at the White Hart Lane and enjoy the Sunday night with this fixture.
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