Spotlight on... Manchester City

Our first away trip of the new campaign sees us head up to the north west to take on reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday evening (kick-off 5.30pm).

We met the Citizens no less than four times in the 2018/19 season. They had the upper hand in both domestic meetings, winning each clash 1-0, but we earned a famous victory over them in the Champions League quarter-finals, progressing on away goals.

So ahead of our meeting at the Etihad Stadium, we put City under the spotlight.

Team news

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that midfielder Fernandinho will be available for this Saturday's game after missing his side's opener against West Ham. Defender Benjamin Mendy and winger Leroy Sane remain out.

City’s form

Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup winners last season, City beat Liverpool on penalties in the FA Community Shield on 4 August before opening their Premier League campaign in style with a 5-0 win at West Ham last weekend - Raheem Sterling leading the way with a hat-trick. They've now won 15 Premier League games on the trot...

New faces

Pep Guardiola added four new faces to his first team squad over the summer. Young defensive midfielder Rodri joined City from Atletico Madrid while Portuguese international Joao Cancelo swapped Juventus for Manchester. City also moved to re-sign full-back Angelino from PSV Eindhoven, just 12 months after the defender had left for the Netherlands. Then on deadline day, the Citizens brought in former England international goalkeeper Scott Carson on a season-long loan from Derby.

Leader of the opposition

Back-to-back Premier League titles, two consecutive League Cup triumphs and the FA Cup  - it has certainly been a productive spell in England for Pep Guardiola since he took the hot seat at the Etihad in 2016. Heavily decorated as a player with Barcelona, it was there in 2008 that he began his managerial career. The success was immediate as Guardiola delivered an abundance of silverware in his four seasons at Camp Nou, including two Champions League crowns and three league titles. Departing in 2012, the former Spanish international had a year’s break from the game before a new challenge in Germany with Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga title followed in each of his three seasons in Bavaria before swapping Munich for Manchester.

Last five meetings

20 April 2019 – Man City 1-0 Spurs – Premier League
17 April 2019 – Man City 4-3 Spurs – Champions League quarter-final second leg
9 April 2019 – Spurs 1-0 Man City – Champions League quarter-final first leg
29 October 2018 – Spurs 0-1 Man City – Premier League
14 April 2018 – Spurs 1-3 Man City – Premier League

It's a numbers game...

24 - Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 24 opening home Premier League games – their last defeat was against Southampton in 1989.

31 - We had more shots at goal than any other Premier League side on matchday one, after attempting 31 shots against Aston Villa in our 3-1 win.

96 - Sergio Aguero has scored 96 Premier League goals at the Etihad Stadium. One more will see him go joint-third with Alan Shearer and St James’ Park for most Premier League goals scored at a specific stadium.

72 - We have gone 72 Premier League games without recording a 0-0 draw – the current longest run in the division.

Played for both

A summer signing from Manchester City in 2008, Vedran Corluka made 109 appearances for us in a four-year spell. Graduating from the Dynamo Zagreb youth academy, the defender went on to enjoy great success with the Croatian outfit, including claiming two league titles, before he was signed by City in 2007.

He spent just a year in the north west before joining us in north London. Becoming a dependable part of our back line, he started in the 2009 League Cup Final against Manchester United and, after the game finished 0-0 in normal time, he was our only goalscorer in the subsequent penalty shootout.

In January, 2012, Corluka moved on loan to Bayer Leverkusen before departing permanently for Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer, where he has just kick-started his 17th season as a professional. Last summer, the Croatian international helped his country to reach their first ever World Cup Final, but it ended in disappointment as they were beaten 4-2 by France in Moscow.

Quiz

1. In which year did we first face Manchester City in a competitive fixture?

• 1899
• 1909
• 1919

2. Which of the following players did not score in our 2018/19 UEFA Champions League quarter-final triumph over City?

• Fernando Llorente
• Heung-Min Son
• Christian Eriksen

3. Who joined us on loan from Manchester City in 2011, before making the move permanent the following year? 

• Sandro
• Lewis Holtby
• Emmanuel Adebayor

4. Which of our current squad scored their first goal for the Club against Manchester City?

• Toby Alderweireld
• Christian Eriksen
• Erik Lamela

5. In which year did we lift the FA Cup after beating Manchester City in the Final at Wembley?

• 1961
• 1981
• 1991

Pictures from the past 

Match data

Venue – Etihad Stadium.

Opposition colours – light blue shirts, white shorts, white socks.

Referee – Michael Oliver.

Weather forecast – Showers, 18 degrees.

Quiz answers: 1 - 1909; 2 - Christian Eriksen; 3 - Emmanuel Adebayor; 4 - Toby Alderweireld; 5 - 1981.