Key events
Tonight's game officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.
Assistants: Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan.
Fourth referee: Graham Scott.
VAR: Michael Salisbury.
VAR Assistant: Scott Ledger.
Fun Fact: It is notable and well known, but there may be some readers who are unaware that Manchester City have never scored a goal or taken a single point in any of their four Premier League visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It hasn't been for lack of trying, as they have peppered Spurs' goal with 74 shots in their four top-flight defeats at the ground since it opened, and also missed a penalty when they lost 1-0 there in the Premier League. Champions. in April 2019.
They finally managed to break the voodoo in January, when Nathan Ake left late to break the stadium duck in a 1-0 FA Cup victory with a controversial goal that left Tottenham players and fans spitting feathers. They felt Ake's goal should have been disallowed for what some (but not the only ones whose opinion mattered) perceived as a foul on their goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, in the build-up.
Tottenham Hotspur: Ange Postecoglou has said he does not understand why some Tottenham fans would prefer to lose to Manchester City on Tuesday if it means Arsenal do not win their first title in 20 years. Actually? Words: Ed Aarons.
City of Manchester: Pep Guardiola has admitted he and his players will feel “a tough time” ahead of their crucial visit to Tottenham on Tuesday as they look to win a record fourth consecutive title. Jamie Jackson reports…
Conversation sport: We all know that sports radio phone calls are a completely accurate barometer of public opinion, so it was interesting to listen to Andy Goldstein and Jamie O'Hara take calls from Tottenham fans on their Drive show this afternoon. From what I've heard, there's a pretty even split between fans who want their team to win tonight and those who want desperate so they can hit them.
Squires: Our cartoonist never fails to deliver, so come see an embarrassed Gunnersaurus trying to clean himself of “the Spurs” in the shower and keep the joke about Noel Gallagher refusing to do the Poznam with his mates. city of manchester Fulham fans.
how are the things going
We all know this, but it would be a serious dereliction of journalistic duty not to remind everyone. A victory for City will allow them to overtake Arsenal and be two points ahead in the final. first division summit, leaving them in the box seat of the title race heading into the final round of games on Sunday.
A win or draw for Spurs will leave Arsenal in pole position ahead of their final home game of the campaign against Everton, because they have a slightly better goal difference (+3) than City, who host West Ham on the last day of the season. . Following Aston Villa's last comeback against Liverpool last night, anything short of a win tonight will end Tottenham's already slim hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
One point will be enough to guarantee Ange Postecoglou's team fifth place and a place in the Europa League, but defeat will leave them vulnerable to the possibility of being overtaken by one or both of Newcastle United and Chelsea, both six points behind Spurs. and Each one has two games left to play. Newcastle have a much higher goal difference than Spurs, while Chelsea's is currently identical.
A seventh place finish may not be enough to qualify for European football next season, for reasons that depend almost entirely on how Manchester United fare in their two remaining league games and the Cup final. FA. Most of the recent evidence available suggests that they will get along very poorly.
First news from the team: Having limped off from Manchester City's first-half win over Fulham with an ankle injury, Nathan Ake is Manchester City's injury concern and was due to undergo a fitness test today. His inclusion in City's line-up seems unlikely and it was Kyle Walker who replaced him on Saturday, filling in at right-back so Manuel Akanji could move into the heart of the defence, where he had a quiet night.
Tottenham have a comparatively long list of cripples and stoppers and tonight will be without Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Manor Solomon, Timo Werner and Destiny Odogie. Ryan Sessegnon, who has made just one seven-minute appearance for the club this season, remains sidelined with a long-term hamstring problem.
Tottenham Hotspur-Manchester City
First League: So we have come to this. Tottenham Hotspur They host Manchester City tonight in a match that created moral conflicts for Arsenal fans everywhere. In fact They need and want them to win or draw, to increase their beloved club's chances of winning their first Premier League title in 20 years. There will be plenty of Tottenham fans feeling a little dirty inside too, knowing that a win is also essential to keeping their faint hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League alive, but could also go a long way to helping their bitter rivals from North London to win. the league.
Anything less than a Spurs win will knock them out of a place at the top of European football next season and, despite Ange Postecoglou affirms the oppositethere are almost certainly plenty of season ticket holders at White Hart Lane who would be happy to take that particular blow for the reward of seeing Arsenal's title hopes take a hammering.
We will know in due course whether his players are ready for it, although Jamie Redknapp insists they will be. naturally motivated to do the best you can because they have something to play for and besides, it's not in the nature of an elite athlete to slack off. It remains to be seen whether their best will be good enough against the reigning champions, so stay tuned for what could be an intriguing and eventful contest. Kick-off in North London is at 8pm (BST), but in the meantime we'll have plenty of team news and preparations.
