Man City vs Tottenham
Uefa Champions League
Quarter-final, second leg (aggregate 0-1)
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Kick-off: 8pm GMT, Wednesday April 17, 2019
Heung-min Son’s winning goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sees Spurs travel to Manchester with a 1-0 advantage ahead of Wednesday’s second leg.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino admission after last week’s win that Man City are still favourites to win the Champions League outright, not just their tie, is representative of the task that Spurs face despite that lead… and they will take it on without Harry Kane.
The Spurs striker sustained an ankle ligament injury in the first leg which could rule him out for the remainder of the season, and Spurs will be looking to Son – and perhaps Lucas Moura – to lead their attack on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, was clearly angered by his side’s defeat in London and is likely to bring back Kevin de Bruyne as City look to overturn the deficit.
First leg match highlights
Team news and predicted line-ups
Fernandinho is in a race against time to sake-off the muscle injury that saw him miss the weekend’s victory at Crystal Palace.
Guardiola said that the Brazilian sustained the injury in the first leg at Spurs, but admitted that the problem was merely ‘short-term’.
Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva’s return to action represents a timely boost for City. The Portuguese international missed the first leg but returned to action as a second-half substitute at Selhurst Park.
Spurs, meanwhile, already knew they would be star striker Kane for their trip to the Etihad but have concerns over Fernando Llorente ahead of Wednesday’s match.
The Spaniard, who impressed in their weekend victory over Huddersfield, sustained at knock and is considered a slight doubt for the match.
Heung min-Son will return having been practically rested against Huddersfield, while Lucas Moura – who scored a hat-trick at weekend – could support him in attack.
Harry Winks is also struggling with a groin injury, but Pochettino has said he is ‘optimistic’ that he will be fit. Victor Wanyama is on standby to deputise.
Dele Alli – who fractured his hand in the first leg – could play at the Etihad after sitting out at the weekend, though Pochettino was noncommittal on his chances when asked at the weekend.
Possible team line-ups
Man City XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Mendy; De Buyne, Gundogan, Silva; Bernardo, Aguero, Sterling
Tottenham XI (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Trippier, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Rose; Winks, Sissoko; Eriksen, Dele Alli, Son; Lucas
Score prediction: Man City 2-0 Tottenham (after extra time), 2-1 on aggregate
Tottenham’s challenge has been made all the harder with Kane’s injury and, while he may not have scored in their first leg win, his hold-up play and work rate will be sorely missed.
Spurs will test City on the counter-attack with the pace of Lucas and Son, but City should have enough to get the job done – though don’t be surprised if this one goes beyond the 90.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Man City to qualify (including extra time and penalties): 4/7
- Tottenham to qualify (including extra time and penalties): 11/8
First goalscorer
Man City (selected)
- Sergio Aguero: 5/2
- Raheem Sterling: 4/1
- Bernardo Silva: 17/2
Tottenham (selected)
- Heung-min Son: 10/1
- Lucas Moura: 13/1
- Dele Alli: 14/1
Click here for the latest odds.
TV channel, live stream and online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport 4K UHD. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
Standard Sport will be LIVE at the Etihad on the night to bring you expert coverage and analysis.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
The sides have met 157 times previously, with City and Spurs having each won on 61 occasions and 35 draws.
The rivals have never previously faced each other in a European competition, while Man City have won the last three Premier League meetings by an aggregate score of 8-2 - most recently a 1-0 victory at Wembley in October 2018.
