Last updated February 3rd, 2020
This game is an important one for both sides in terms or Premier League hopes for 2019/2020. Manchester City simply have to keep winning in order to have any chance of overtaking runaway leaders Liverpool while Spurs are clinging on in the battle for Champions League places (11.30am ET Sunday).
Games between these two sides usually provide plenty of action and goals so let’s see what we can expect with our preview and Tottenham vs Man City predictions.
Spurs vs Man City Moneyline Odds
Spurs may have the home advantage but City have the better form and Pep Guardiola’s men are clear favorites for the win with the best of the U.S. betting websites. You can currently back the away side at around the -180 mark while a victory for Spurs is out at a common figure of +450. Anyone looking to back the draw can find odds of around +333.
Those prices reflect the respective fortunes of the two teams right now. Man City come into the game on the back of four wins and a draw from their last five. On balance, Tottenham’s run of two wins, two draws and a solitary defeat across the same period isn’t the worst but Jose Mourinho’s side have played teams that they should be beating comfortably. Draws to relegation-threatened Watford and Southampton indicates a worrying period for Tottenham fans but the addition of players in the transfer window might just change their fortunes.
Most Likely Prop Bets
Spurs’ struggles have come on the back of a long-term injury to key striker Harry Kane and his absence robs the hosts of a genuine contender in the first goalscorer market. This bet is now dominated by Manchester City players with dangerous Argentine striker Sergio Aguero the favorite to open the scoring.
Strike partner Gabriel Jesus is next on the list but coach Guardiola rarely starts both strikers in the same game. A bet on an anytime goal may, therefore, be a better option for each player.
City continue with options in midfield including Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez. Both men have been productive against Tottenham in the past and will pose a threat on Sunday.
If you are looking to back a Spurs player amongst all of this, South Korean striker Son-Heung Min carries the shortest price of around +800 for the first goal.
Among our regular prop bets, we like to take a look at ‘both teams to score’. We like the fact that it’s a straight yes or no answer and BTTS offers some good value at times. Unfortunately that isn’t the case here with odds of around -160 on the table. As we’ll see in the next section, Tottenham have enough issues in front of goal to make us swerve ‘both teams to score’.
Betting over the 2.5 goal line also produces poor odds but you could go to ‘over 3.5’ where we finally get some + odds. We may need Manchester City to score all of those goals but that wager might just offer the best value from the list of prop bets.
Key Battles
Recently, Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho bemoaned his side’s injury record while pointing to Manchester City as a club with great depth in their squad. The Spurs boss highlighted the possibilities that City would have on their bench and those thoughts offer an indicator as to where this game should go.
Since Harry Kane emerged as one of the world’s best strikers, Tottenham have done nothing to provide effective back up. When the England captain gets injured, the attacking midfielders have to compensate and Spurs tend to enter a subdued period in terms of results.
For Manchester City, any injury or suspension to Sergio Aguero lets in Gabriel Jesus. He is a man who averages almost a goal every other game while making many appearances from the subs bench.
There are other areas off the pitch where the comparative depth of the two squads underlines Mourinho’s concerns but this is the perfect illustration in terms of Sunday’s game. If Tottenham are to get a positive result, they have to find the net and just five goals in their last five games, mostly against weaker opposition, suggests a comfortable away win.
Tottenham vs Man City Predictions for this Betting Preview with Picks
The last section has said it all really: Spurs have enjoyed some positive results against Man City teams in the recent past but they have struggled for form since the start of the season. Without Harry Kane, they are merely holding on to a faint hope of Champions League qualification and while they may still sign a striker before the end of the transfer window, any deal will be too late in terms of this fixture.
Manchester City have suffered some slip-ups this season, most notably against bottom of the table Norwich City but we can’t see any mistakes this time. Take the away win for a small profit but an anytime goal for Raheem Sterling could offer better value. The England winger has 20 goals in 34 matches this season and is an underrated threat. These are this Premier League match preview’s Spurs vs Man City predictions:
- Manchester City to win @ best odds of -179 on the moneyline with 5Dimes.
- Raheem Sterling to score at any time @ +125 with Bovada.
- Bet on over 3.5 goals @ +128 with 5Dimes.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.