da stake casino： Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur were always likely to provide a tough evening’s work for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City when the Spanish boss looked at the run-in to the end of the season.
da doce： The Catalan would have hoped his side would already be Premier League champions and into the semi-finals of the Champions League by the time they pitched up at Wembley but three straight defeats put paid to those ambitions.
Instead, the champions-select will arrive in North London looking to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat, with their confidence shaken by their recent poor form.
That presents Tottenham with a huge opportunity to make a statement that they can be title contenders next time around, when the chasing pack will surely be looking to create a much more competitive battle for supremacy.
Pochettino also has questions to answer ahead of the clash against a team that thrashed them 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium back in December. We’ve taken a closer look at some of them.
Should Spurs attack a vulnerable City side?
By the end of Tuesday night’s defeat to Liverpool, with Pep Guardiola in the stands and the players powerless to stop Roberto Firmino bustling through to score, City looked desolate for the first time this season.
The opening weeks of April represented a significant test for City and they failed comprehensively. Guardiola has to raise his players again and rebuild their confidence but Pochettino should be looking to take advantage.
But does he send his side out all guns blazing to try and stick the boot in further? Or does he instruct his side to sit off, allowing City the ball before exploiting their lack of confidence and springing forward on the break.
This decision could shape the game.
Who should play at right-back?
Leroy Sane should provide a direct threat to either Kieran Trippier or Serge Aurier, whoever gets the nod, but he played in a wing-back role against Liverpool.
Trippier was able to deal well with Eden Hazard in the win against Chelsea earlier this month but Aurier’s pace may see him get the nod over the England international.
Either way, Sane has the ability to take this game away from Spurs, especially on the counter if Pochettino does decide to be bold and selecting the right man to deal with the German is crucial.
Who is City’s biggest threat?
As much as Sane can provide a threat with his pace and delivery, it is Kevin de Bruyne – Mo Salah’s only realistic rival for the PFA Player of the Year award – who makes this City side tick.
The Belgian – valued at £99m by Transfermarkt – is the one who will be putting the ball on a plate for Sane, Raheem Sterling and whichever one of Gabriel Jesus or Sergio Aguero gets the nod.
Guardiola always looks to his technical players when he’s in trouble and that means that de Bruyne and David Silva will be tasked with playing City through this sticky patch.
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