Match of the weekend: Which is the match you must not miss this weekend?
After a scintillating second league in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur will travel to The Etihad Stadium on Saturday for a lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League. This is the third meeting between the two clubs in a fortnight. The midweek clash between these two teams was a phenomenal encounter as Tottenham progressed on away goals without their talisman; Harry Kane. Pep Guardiola was left disappointed despite his team giving everything in the field to win the tie. A potential match-winning goal by Raheem Sterling was disallowed in the dying minutes by VAR, in a heart breaking moment for Manchester City.
Tottenham has a huge chance of ruining City’s title dreams once again. A defeat against will mean that City will fall behind Liverpool in the title race. The high voltage clash is the second last big six hurdle to Guardiola and his team. After this match, only Manchester United will be a big test left for the defending champions.
While the football world might look at this fixture as a revenge match, there is a lot more on stake. Guardiola’s tactics have come under question on the face that, does Guardiola over think in big matches? This question has been in the rounds in English football for quite some time and Wednesday’s result has reiterated these claims
On the other hand, Mauricio Pochettino is jubilant as he made history with Tottenham as they went into the semi-finals for only the second time in history. Tottenham will look to put yet another roadblock in Guardiola’s dreams as a win on Saturday will boost their chances of a top-four finish.
Pochettino, in absence of Harry Kane, will bank upon Lucas Moura after his hat trick in a 4-0 win over Huddersfield Town last week. UCL hero, Son-Heung Ming will be a player to look forward as his three goals in two matches were critical in the team making the last four of the Champions League. For the hosts, the Spanish coach will once again depend upon Sergio Aguero for goals along with the in-form Raheem Sterling.