Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur: 3 key battles to look out for | Premier League 2022-23
Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur will square off in what may be called the midweek game of the week. The game is set to take place on Thursday at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium (January 19)
Manchester City has been erratic in recent weeks, winning only two of their past five games in all competitions. Furthermore, they are now second in the Premier League rankings, eight points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, has been inconsistent, winning only two of their last five games in all competitions. Furthermore, they are now fifth in the Premier League table.
A victory for either of the two clubs would be critical.
A win would be critical for any team, as it would improve their confidence. As a result, the focus of this article will be on three critical individual bouts that could determine the outcome of this meeting.
Let’s have a look at them without further ado.
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#3 Pierre-Emile Hjbjerg against Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne is undoubtedly the Premier League’s most creative midfielder, and his consistency has been unrivaled in recent years.
In 18 Premier League appearances, the Manchester City midfielder has three goals and ten assists. Likewise, he has the most assists in the league this season.
De Bruyne’s vision and ability to pass the ball to his teammates in attack are exceptional. In midfield, keep an eye on his moves is a tough task and Højbjerg will have his work cut out.
However, Hjbjerg has been solid thus far, scoring six goals in the Premier League this season. His defensive awareness and ability to stabilize the midfield are also exceptional. It would be intriguing to see if he can keep De Bruyne quiet in this match.
#2 Manuel Akanji vs. Harry Kane
So far, the Englishman has performed admirably in the league, and his attacking contributions have been vital for Antonio Conte.
Kane has 15 Premier League goals and one assist this season in 18 Premier League games. Kane is notable for his ability to dive deep and allow other attackers to exploit the small pockets of space that he has created as a result of the attention that he has gathered in pulling the opposition’s defense out of their position.
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Furthermore, his attack vision is exceptional, and Akanji will undoubtedly have his job cut out for him in this clash. However, Akanji’s defensive vigilance is outstanding, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep Kane at bay.
He has three assists in 17 league matches against Cristian Romero. Similarly, he is the current Premier League leading scorer.
It will be difficult to keep track of his moves in the last third of the pitch, and Romero will have to be defensively aware if he is to prevent Haaland from scoring. However, Romero has excellent defensive awareness, and it will be intriguing to see if he can extend Haaland’s goal drought.
