'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Pundit Chris Sutton has backed Manchester City to beat Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad in the Premier League on Sunday, December 3.
The Cityzens are second in the standings, a point behind Arsenal, with nine wins, two draws, and two defeats. They beat RB Leipzig 3-2 after being 2-0 down in their last game in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, November 28. In the Premier League, Manchester City played out a 1-1 draw against Liverpool in their last game.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have lost three games in a row against Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Aston Villa. They have a number of key players out due to injuries and suspension, including Cristian Romero and James Maddison.
In his column for BBC, Sutton pointed out that Tottenham's defenders will need to be on top of their game to beat Manchester City, as he wrote:
"Not many teams go toe to toe with City at Etihad Stadium so it is going to be very interesting to see what sort of line-up Spurs go with.
"Full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal were the centre-back pairing against Villa, with Eric Dier left on the bench. Whoever gets the nod this time will have to be the best players in the team, because they get left exposed so much."
Sutton pointed out that Spurs created plenty of chances against Aston Villa but failed to capitalise on them. Hence, he expects an open game at the Etihad, as he wrote:
"I am expecting another really open game and Tottenham will create chances, like they did last weekend against Villa. If they had taken them, they would have been out of sight by half-time.
"City will get loads of opportunities too, though - and they are just ruthless. That's why I'm saying there are going to be a few goals, it's just that Pep Guardiola's side will get most of them."
Prediction: 4-2
Manchester City looking to keep up in title race as they prepare to host Tottenham
Even after just 13 games into the season, the Premier League title race seems to be heating up. Arsenal lead the table and are just a point above Manchester City, who are a further point above Liverpool (3rd) and Aston Villa (4th). Tottenham are two points behind the duo in fifth while Manchester United are a further two points behind.
The Cityzens are looking to win their fourth Premier League title in a row and sixth in the last seven seasons. They have started the season well and are unbeaten in their last eight games across competitions. Despite Kevin de Bruyne's absence, they have scored the most goals in the league (33).
Tottenham, meanwhile, had a stellar start to the season as they were unbeaten in their first 10 league games under Ange Postecoglou. However, their 4-1 defeat against Chelsea derailed their season as they saw two suspensions and two injuries to key players.
They go into the clash on Sunday as the underdogs. Manchester City won the corresponding fixture 4-2 last season after Spurs took a 2-0 lead at half-time.
