Infamously, Manchester City lost each of their first five visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, all without scoring, but have already won twice in N17 in 2024, so will the Sky Blues prevail again in North London?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Preview
Manchester City have been the kings of the Carabao Cup for a decade and more, hoisting aloft this trophy on six occasions since 2014, so will they move one step closer to another Wembley date? In the previous round, Pep Guardiola's team only narrowly overcame Watford at the Etihad, with Jérémy Doku and Matheus Nunes on target in a 2-1 win.
Meantime, Saturday's 1-0 victory over Southampton in which Erling Braut Håland, who else, was the only scorer, took the Citizens to the top of the Premier League table, where most are forecasting they'll remain, now unbeaten in 32 league games and counting.
The Citizens, who've already got their hands on the Community Shield, could win as many as six pieces of silverware this season, potentially playing as many as 75 matches, concluding with the FIFA Club World Cup next June and July. Thus, the EFL Cup may not be high on their list of priorities, with the competition's joint-most successful manager Guardiola describing it as a "waste of energy", so we'll see how he feels come kick off in North London.
Thus, can Tottenham Hotspur take advantage of their visitors' lack of enthusiasm for this tournament? Spurs supporters will definitely be up for this one because, by the time the final takes place in mid-March, it'll be 17 years, 6,230 days to be exact, since they last got their hands on a trophy, this coming in the League Cup.
Ange Postecoglou has himself stated repeatedly that he "always wins a trophy" in his second season. Well, his team came very close to an embarrassing early exit from this competition, 1-0 down at Coventry with two minutes to play, only for Djed Spence to equalise before Brennan Johnson won it at the death.
This can be viewed as a microcosm for Spurs' inconsistent season so far, winning three out of three in the Europa League, but currently eighth in the Premier League, suffering their fourth defeat of the campaign already at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Regardless of league finish, Postecoglou would be lauded as a Tottenham legend for all eternity should he be the man to end their trophy draught, but they've certainly be handed the toughest possible opponent in this round, although Spurs will feel they can upset the odds and get through to the quarter-finals.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 171
- Tottenham Hotspur Wins: 66. Draws: 37. Manchester City Wins: 68.
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Ange Postecoglou has been rotating his team in the Europa League, as well as at Coventry in round three, but will surely deploy his strongest possible team for this one. This though may not feature captain Son Heung-min, who sat out Sunday's trip to Selhurst with a thigh issue, making him a doubt for this one, while hero of the previous round Djed Spence is also sidelined. In Son's absence, 17 year old Mikey Moore made his full-Premier League debut at the weekend, so will he keep his place, with Richarlison and Timo Werner more senior alternatives? Wilson Odobert though won't be available for a while following a serious set-back.
Tottenham Hotspur predicted lineup vs Manchester City: (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Matar Sarr, Bissouma, Johnson, Kuluševski, Richarlison; Solanke.
Tottenham Hotspur Players to Watch vs Manchester City
Dejan Kuluševski has been in excellent form this season, so much so that James Maddison might be on the bench the bench to give the Swede more attacking freedom, so can he add to his three career goals against Man City?
Manchester City Team News
As alluded to earlier, following the win over Watford, Guardiola stated: "the next round, I announce to you now, I play the second team”. Let's see if he's true to his word. Stefan Ortega will make his fourth appearance of the season in goal, while youngsters Kaden Braithwaite, James McAtee and Nico O'Reilly all started against Watford in the previous round. In fairness, that team did also feature Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jérémy Doku, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, so this Man City team is unlikely to resemble a school trip, even if Walker, Rodri, Grealish, Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Oscar Bobb are all currently injured, limiting rotation options.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur: (4-3-3): Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Aké; Kovačić, Gündoğan, Nunes; O'Reilly, McAtee, Foden.
Manchester City Players to Watch vs Tottenham Hotspur
Assuming Erling Braut Håland is rested, Phil Foden is likely to be deployed as a false nine, so can he lead Man City to victory in this tie?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Prediction
It's hard to predict without knowing for certain what the teams are going to be, but we're backing Tottenham for victory in this one. Spurs will surely go all-out to get through this tie while, if he's true to his word, Guardiola will very much not being doing that, so we're forecasting that the home side will progress through to the last eight: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Manchester City.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City FAQs - Carabao Cup
How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Carabao Cup game on TV channel?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Carabao Cup game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Sky Sports Main Event and Ultra HD.
- USA: Paramount+ & SiriusXM FC
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Carabao Cup game on live streaming?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City Carabao Cup game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Sky Sports+, Sky Go & NOW TV.
- USA: Paramount+ & SiriusXM FC
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City in the Carabao Cup?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City takes place on Wednesday 30 October 2024, with kick off at 20:15 (GMT), 16:15 (ET) & 13:15 (PDT).