Tottenham Hotspur vs Man City preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Manchester City will continue their bid for a ninth Carabao Cup title when they travel to North London to face Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, 30th October.

City are the competition’s second most successful team with eight titles behind Liverpool with ten.

Pep Guardiola has shown excessive superiority in this competition, winning six of the last eight, including four in a row between 2018 and 2021.

The Spanish tactician will look to clinch the title this season after missing out in the last three editions to Manchester United and Liverpool(twice).

The Cityzens began their campaign with a 2-1 home win over Watford, though the scoreline was tighter than anticipated for a fixture they’ve consistently controlled in recent years.

Jeremy Doku opened the scoring within five minutes, followed by Matheus Nunes’ goal seven minutes before halftime to double the advantage. However, Tom Ince brought late tension, netting a goal for Watford in the closing minutes.

City approaches this crucial cup matchup against Tottenham on the back of five straight victories in all competitions, and Guardiola’s team remains undefeated across their last 15 outings in all competitions. City have recently strengthened their head-to-head record, staying unbeaten in the previous three meetings and winning twice consecutively away to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Their away form this season has been impressive, going unbeaten on their away matches with four wins out of five across domestic and European games. They’ve yet to lose a game away from the Etihad in any competitive fixture since December 2023, when they fell to Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Facing Tottenham that have blown hot and cold this season will be another big test for the Premier League champions as the North London club could blow hot and be at their best in this tie.

Ange Postecoglou will savour the chance of giving the club’s supporters something to cheer on and will hope his side does not just put up a reputable performance, but also come out with a win against a very difficult opponent.

In their last clash in this competition, Tottenham narrowly escaped an early upset against Coventry City, last season’s FA Cup semi-finalists, in their recent cup fixture.

Coventry had taken a second-half lead through Brandon Thomas-Asante, but late strikes from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson turned the match around for Postecoglou’s side.

Johnson’s goal marked the beginning of a standout period for the Welsh international, who has since netted seven goals across his last nine appearances for club and country.

Despite an unexpected loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Tottenham’s most recent home performance in domestic competition was impressive, with a commanding 4-1 victory over London rivals West Ham United.

Fans with Tottenham tickets will be eager to make a deep run in the Carabao Cup — their last major trophy since 2008.

However, overcoming a City team that has excelled in this tournament and boasts a strong recent record in this matchup presents a formidable challenge.

Spurs have lost their last two encounters against City without finding the net, winning just once in their previous five meetings with the reigning Premier League champions.

The most recent League Cup encounter between City and Spurs took place in the 2021 final, where Aymeric Laporte’s decisive goal enabled City to secure their fourth consecutive Carabao Cup title.

The last meeting between the two sides was a tense League-deciding clash in May 2024, when Erling Haaland scored twice in the second half, leading City to a crucial 2-0 victory.

This result propelled Pep Guardiola’s team back to the Premier League summit and brought them within one win of achieving a historic fourth consecutive title, which they ultimately claimed later that month.

Both clubs now turn attention to this midweek’s clash in what looks to be the biggest clash in the Carabao Cup so far this season.

Tottenham Hotspur Vs Man City match details

• Date: Wednesday, 30th October, 2024
• Location: London, England
• Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• Kick-off time: 08:15 PM BST
• Referee: Robert Jones
• Assistant referees: Neil Davies and Simon Long
• Fourth Official: David Coote

Match stats and head-to-head

• City are heading to this clash at the back of five consecutive wins across all competitions.

• The Cityzens are also unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competitions.

• City are on a run of four wins in five away matches since the beginning of the 2024-25 season.

• Pep Guardiola’s side have not lost a competitive fixture away from home since the 1-0 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park in December 2023.

• Ange Postecoglou’s side have lost only one match at home this season, coming in the 1-0 loss against North London opponents, Arsenal

• Tottenham have failed to score a goal in their last two matches against City. Both matches ended in a loss for the London side.

• The North London side have only recorded one win against City in five matches.

• City’s centre-forward, Erling Haaland has netted three goals in four matches against Spurs including a brace in last season’s title-deciding clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May.

Team news

Club captain, Son Heung-Min has missed Spurs’ last two games. He was not part of the squad that faced AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League and also missed the trip to South London to face Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The 32-year-old remains a doubt for the clash against City and Postecoglou is unlikely to risk him with another high-profile match coming up next weekend against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Youngsters including Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray will be pushing for a place in the starting lineup with Postecoglou expected to give chances to either or all the trio in this clash.

Full-back, Djed Spence is another doubt for this clash after missing the trip to Selhurst Park and it’s unlikely he’ll recover in time to face the Cityzens.

For City, Pep Guardiola will still be without several key first-team players.

Jack Grealish is stepping up his recovery but will not be fit in time to take the trip to North London. The England international is anticipated to be fit for the Cityzens Premier League clash against Bournemouth next month.

Jeremy Doku, who scored in City’s win over Watford, is ruled out for this clash with a muscle injury. Oscar Bobb is one of the Cityzens’ longest absentees with a leg fracture while Kevin De Bruyne is stepping up his recovery from a groin injury.

Kyle Walker is also sidelined for this clash with a knee injury. Youngster, Rico Lewis is expected to deputise for the club-captain when they face Spurs.

Ballon d’Or finalist, Rodri is ruled out of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the Premier League clash against Arsenal. The Spaniard is in strong contention to finish among the top three finalists in the Ballon d’Or ceremony set to be held in France.

Predicted starting lineup

Tottenham Hotspur predicted starting lineup

Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie, Kulusevski, Sarr, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Richarlison.

Man City Predicted starting lineup

Ortega, Lewis, Stones, Ake, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, Nunes, Silva, Foden, Haaland.

Prediction

City are in a much better form heading into this match and will savour the chance of increasing their unbeaten run this season.

They will look to end their three-season drought without the trophy after previously going on a four-consecutive Carabao Cup title streak.

Tottenham on the other hand have not been at their best form this season. Spurs fans will hope that the City game becomes one of the matches where the club pick up gear and show more determination.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for City.