Tottenham vs Manchester City (Carabao Cup Fourth Round): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How To Watch

Manchester City travel to North London this week in a bid to progress into the next round of the Carabao Cup as they face Tottenham Hotspur.

With five wins on the bounce in all competitions, City are in fine form, and after a 2-2 draw was played out at the Emirates Stadium between Arsenal and Liverpool, Pep Guardiola’s side returned to the top of the Premier League table.

Although this is crucial for both Guardiola and City, it has become common-place for him to combine league success with a domestic cup victory. The Catalan boss has led his team to two FA Cup and four Carabao Cup victories since his appointment in the summer of 2016.

With that being said, Manchester City have failed to win this specific trophy since 2021 – something which Pep Guardiola will want to change despite his main ambitions lying in other competitions this season.

Standing in their way is a trip to Tottenham – a ground in which the Sky Blues have historically struggled, despite two recent wins there. The North London side have endured a mixed and rather inconsistent start to the season, placing them 8th in the Premier League.

In the last round, Spurs left it late to progress, having dominated possession but being outnumbered on shots by Championship side Coventry. Late goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson managed to get the club over the line with a 1-2 comeback away win.

Contrasting that with City’s previous round, in a game against Watford which was far less dramatic and more business as usual. Goals from Jérémy Doku and Matheus Nunes saw City take a 2-0 lead, while their opponents clinched a late goal through Tom Ince.

In recent fixtures, Savinho put in an impressive performance during the 1-0 win against Southampton, while his pace, trickery and ability to create chances has been crucial during a period in which his team has been missing wide options in Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku.

The Brazilian magician created the most chances (5), completed the most dribbles (6) all whilst winning the most ground duels (7), showcasing his willingness to help his side at both ends of the pitch.

Talisman Erling Haaland put an end to his goalscoring ‘drought’ as his goal was enough to seal three points at the weekend. Once again, he showed up when it mattered as he managed to find the back of the net, whilst off-balance, taking his side to the pinnacle of the league table.

Unlike Manchester City, Spurs tasted defeat last time out, taking them to four losses in the Premier League. Facing a struggling Crystal Palace side, Ange Postecoglou’s team put in a poor performance.

Palace’s energy, work rate and intensity seemed to unsettle the North London side and Spurs could not quite get going, with their best chance of the game coming through Brennan Johnson hitting the crossbar. Jean-Philippe Mateta gave his side the lead with a close-range finish, while Guglielmo Vicario was called into action a further five times.

Ange Postecoglou will no doubt want to right the wrongs of their last match and what better way, in their eyes, than to come out victorious against the best team in the country and the favourites for this competition.

With Manchester City’s hopes of bringing the Carabao Cup back to the Etihad Stadium on the line, here is everything you need to know ahead of the encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!

Match Details

Manchester City go head to head with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday 30^th October at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 20:15 GMT.

Match Officials

The man leading the officiating team on Wednesday night is 37-year-old Robert Jones. He is yet to officiate a Manchester City game this season, but was fourth official in the 1-1 draw at Newcastle’s St James’ Park back in September.

Team News

As expected, Ballon d’Or winner Rodri continues to be out of contention alongside fellow midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Oscar Bobb. Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Jérémy Doku all missed the weekend’s action against Southampton and remain doubts for Wednesday.

This, alongside a busy schedule with Manchester City playing multiple games a week, has resulted in Pep Guardiola needing to monitor his players’ fitness. The Catalan suggested at the weekend that this may be an opportunity for youth academy players to get minutes.

This could be a chance for Manchester City fans to see 16-year-old Kaden Braithwaite once again, following his performance against Watford in the previous round of the Carabao Cup at the Etihad Stadium.

As for Spurs, summer signing Wilson Odobert has had a set-back in his recovery from injury, Ange Postecoglou confirmed in his press conference. It is believed to be a serious problem, and therefore he will not feature in this affair.

Club captain Son Heung-Min had been a doubt for his side at the weekend, and whilst the South Korean international is almost fully-fit, a return to action is deemed more likely in the Premier League than midweek duties.

Furthermore, Djed Spence returned to training for Tottenham over the course of the weekend, placing him in contention to feature in this game but, considering his recent return, a starting spot is unlikely.

Head To Head

Throughout history, these match-ups have been evenly contested. Out of 171 clashes, Manchester City have come out on top 68 times, whilst their opponents have been victorious 66 times. In that time, there has also been 37 draws.

Despite Pep Guardiola’s team winning the last two matches against Spurs, the results since 2020 have been level. In this timeframe, there has been 11 matches played out, with City winning five and earning a draw.

Four of Spurs’ five victories have been at their home ground, highlighting Manchester City’s struggles there in the past.

The last two matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ended favourably for the Blues, winning 0-2 and 0-1. With Erling Haaland on the scoresheet twice, the most recent result was the 0-2 scoreline in which City claimed a vital three points en route to a top-flight crown.

Statistics

Manchester City are unbeaten in all competitions this season.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is used to seeing high-scoring games when it welcomes Manchester City. In each of the last eight games played at the ground, there have been less than 2.5 goals.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have only been defeated once at home this season, coming against their arch-rivals Arsenal in a 0-1 defeat.

Having faced each other twice, Pep Guardiola is unbeaten against his Australian counterpart.

How To Watch

For fans in the United Kingdom, the match will be televised on Sky Sports Main Event whilst BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Manchester, and TalkSport will provide radio coverage of the clash.

Paramount + will be broadcasting the match for Manchester City fans residing in the United States.

You can find full global TV listings for the Round of 16 encounter in the Carabao Cup HERE!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram channels throughout matchday, with content also provided on cityxtra.co.uk and YouTube!