Manchester City will host Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, 23rd August, in the second week of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Check out our match preview and best bets, which include a 6/1 poke on a certain Erling Haaland.
Tijjani Reijnders to Score or Assist (6/4 with Sky Bet)
Tijjani Reijnders both scored and assisted in Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Wolves on his Premier League debut – no player has ever achieved this in their first two City appearances in the competition, while Reijnders or teammate Rayan Cherki could be the first player since Emmanuel Adebayor in August 2009 to score in their first two Premier League games for the club. Across all competions last season, Reijnders scored an impressive 15 goals and five assists, figures that could well rise should he continue to play like he did last weekend for City.
Erling Haaland to score a header (6/1 with Sky Bet)
Erling Haaland has now bagged 87 goals for Manchester City, with 15 of them coming from headers.
For defenders, it’s no longer just about worrying over his pace in behind or his knack for pouncing on loose balls. The real danger now is Haaland as an aerial weapon—and City finally look structured to exploit that fully.
The numbers highlight the shift: in the past six seasons, City averaged 7.32 open-play crosses in the first half of matches. Last season, that dipped slightly to 6.26. But against Wolves, the approach changed dramatically—they delivered 12 first-half crosses, nine of them inside the opening 20 minutes.
That kind of service inevitably points toward Haaland being on the end of more headed chances. At odds of 6/1 with Sky Bet for him to score via a header, the value looks hard to ignore.
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How both teams go into Man City vs Tottenham
Man City enter the match after a strong finish to the 2024/25 season, securing third place in the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League. Over the summer, they strengthened their squad with the additions of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
They also suffered a Round of 16 exit against Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup. Nevertheless, manager Pep Guardiola will be eager to mount a serious title challenge this season and he made a superb start in doing so with a solid 4-0 win on the road at Wolves last week.
Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, finished 17th in the league last season. Despite their domestic struggles, they secured the Europa League title, ending a 17-year wait for silverware. In the summer, Spurs appointed Thomas Frank as head coach, replacing Ange Postecoglou.
This match is crucial for both sides to gain early momentum. City will look to assert their dominance and announce that they’re back, while Frank will aim to prove that Spurs are on the up. The outcome of this fixture could set the tone for both clubs’ seasons.
Man City team news
Rodri, Mateo Kovacic and Claudio Echeverri are all expected to be unavailable for City.
Tottenham team news
Spurs will likely be without James Maddison, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Bryan Gil, Manor Solomon, Kota Takai and Destiny Udogie.
Man City vs Tottenham head-to-head
City have won three of their last five matchups, while Spurs have won two. Despite being underdogs each time, Spurs have taken points off City in three of their last four trips to the Etihad.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 26/02/25 | Tottenham 0-1 Man City | Premier League |
| 23/11/24 | Man City 0-4 Tottenham | Premier League |
| 30/10/24 | Tottenham 2-1 Man City | Carabao Cup |
| 14/05/24 | Tottenham 0-2 Man City | Premier League |
| 26/01/24 | Tottenham 0-1 Man City | FA Cup |