Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City will meet three times in the space of 11 days, and the Champions League quarter-finalists will collide in north London on Tuesday in the first segment of that series.
Spurs will host Tuesday’s first leg in the first European fixture at their new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Citizens will hope to give the home outfit a losing start on their own soil.
Champions League Quarterfinals
Spurs vs. Man City
Date: Tuesday, April 9
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
TV: TNT
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
The new ground was given a victorious christening on Saturday as Mauricio Pochettino’s men beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in their opening fixture there. City defeated Tottenham 1-0 at ex-temporary home Wembley Stadium in October, but Tuesday’s hosts will pray their new stadium can bring some added intimidation factor.
Despite their recent win, Spurs still only have two wins in their past seven games. City, meanwhile, have won their last 14 matches in a row—that includes the penalty shootout win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February.
Pep Guardiola & co. are still in pursuit of a European and domestic quadruple, and an opening-leg win away to Tottenham would drastically improve their chances of actually completing it.
They’ll face Watford in the FA Cup final and are two points off Premier League leaders Liverpool with one game in hand. Nevertheless, mercurial midfielder Kevin De Bruyne recently called their chances of winning four trophies in one season “nearly impossible.”
That said, City has spent nearly £500 million since Guardiola took over in 2016 and have thus built the kind of squad capable of standing up to such rigors, hence their win streak.
Raheem Sterling has been City’s main man of late and will be one to keep an eye on, though Sergio Aguero will also be motivated as he seeks to make his return from injury. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabian Delph are doubts, meaning Aymeric Laporte may start at left-back.
Eric Dier, Erik Lamela, and Serge Aurier are the only definite absences for Pochettino as Spurs hope to call upon the same spirit that saw them beat Borussia Dortmund both home and away in the last 16.
Tottenham is hoping to make it to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history, but City has won their past four meetings against Spurs and will confident of their odds.
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