Tottenham aiming to dislodge Manchester City from PL summit

WINDHOEK, OCT. 25 – The crunch match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City is the clear ‘big game’ of round 10 in the 2018/19 Premier League, which also features Manchester United looking to fan the embers of resurgence when they face Everton, and Arsenal aiming to take down London rivals Crystal Palace.

The meeting of Spurs and City at Wembley Stadium on Monday 29 October can be viewed as a genuine clash of title contenders. Pep Guardiola’s side are the favourites to defend their crown and have thus far enjoyed a superb campaign in England’s top flight, taking home 23 points from a possible 27.

Last weekend they breezed to a 5-0 home win over Burnley to further enhance their goal difference, which already stands at an impressive +23.

Yet Tottenham are not to be underestimated. The Lilywhites may not be racking up the goals left, right and centre quite like the league leaders, but their 1-0 win away to London rivals West Ham United (with a strike from Erik Lamela) was a fourth straight victory in the Premier League and leaves them just two points off the top.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino during the Premier League match at London Stadium

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino will be eager to get one over Guardiola and City: the Londoners have not beaten their rivals from up north in more than two years, and their status as championship hopefuls will depend on their ability to overcome the likes of City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

On the subject of the Reds and the Blues, they could both leapfrog City at the top of the log as they are in action earlier in the round: Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are at home to Cardiff City on Saturday, while Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea are away to Burnley on Sunday.

The other Sunday matches see Crystal Palace at home to Arsenal and Manchester United welcoming Everton to Old Trafford. The clash at Selhurst Park is one in which the Eagles desperately need Ivorian superstar Wilfried Zaha to bring his ‘A game’, as Roy Hodgson’s team look to end a four-game winless streak which has dragged then closer to the relegation zone.

Manchester United’s Anthony Martial (left) celebrates scoring his side’s second goal of the game with team mate Paul Pogba

As for the United v Everton game, the focus once again falls on the plight of manager Jose Mourinho. His team will have played a tough UEFA Champions League game against Italian champions Juventus in midweek, but there are signs of a resurgence. The Red Devils were unlucky not to hand Chelsea their first defeat of the season last weekend, and appear to have an attacking formula which is impressively effective – even if they need to go behind on the score board before fully embracing it.

In terms of other potential African stars through the round of games, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah will look to build on the momentum of his strike against Huddersfield Town last weekend, Alex Iwobi and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang are amongst Arsenal’s most potent attacking threats, and Wilfred Ndidi will aim to guide Leicester City to a home win over West Ham in the late game on Saturday.

Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (L) laughs with teammate Alex Iwobi (R) after the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leicester in London, Britain, 22 October 2018. EPA/ANDY RAIN EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

Key match stats

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City – Head-to-Head, Premier League
Matches played 42
Spurs wins 23
City wins 13
Draws 6

Manchester United v Everton – Head-to-Head, Premier League
Matches played 52
United wins 35
Everton wins 8
Draws 9

Crystal Palace v Arsenal – Head-to-Head, Premier League
Matches played 18
Palace wins 2
Arsenal wins 13
Draws 3

Premier League fixtures, 27-29 October 2018
All times CAT

Saturday 27 October
16:00: Liverpool v Cardiff City – LIVE on SS3/SS10, Max1 & SelGO2
16:00: Southampton v Newcastle United – LIVE on SS5
18:30: Leicester City v West Ham United – LIVE on SS3 & Max1

Sunday 28 October
15:30: Burnley v Chelsea – LIVE on SS5 & Max1
15:30: Crystal Palace v Arsenal – LIVE on SS3/SS10 & SelGO2
18:00: Manchester United v Everton – LIVE on SS3 & Max1

Monday 29 October
22:00: Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City – LIVE on SS3 & Max1 – Contributed