Man City v Tottenham EFL Cup final prediction: Citizens look a cut above

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup final

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event/Football, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Man City win and both teams to score
1pt 5-2 Betfair

Team news

Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne (ankle) is back in training but John Stones is suspended.

Tottenham
Harry Kane (ankle) is a doubt but Ben Davies (calf) is definitely out.

Match preview

Manchester City's quad quest came to an end with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Chelsea in last Saturday's FA Cup semi-final but they can complete the first part of a domestic double by beating Tottenham in the League Cup final.

Pep Guardiola's side have tasted defeat on their last two visits to Wembley - they lost 2-0 to Arsenal in last season's FA Cup semi-finals - but they have exerted a stranglehold over the League Cup and could become the first team to win the competition on four consecutive occasions since Liverpool's triumphs from 1981 to 1984.

They are understandably short odds to topple a Spurs side who sit 24 points below them in the Premier League table but it makes sense for punters to boost the price by backing a City victory in 90 minutes and both teams to score.

Spurs are chasing their first major trophy since their 2008 League Cup success and their chances probably increased slightly when Jose Mourinho was shown the door earlier this week.

The Portuguese has been replaced on a short-term basis by 29-year-old Ryan Mason, who became the youngest manager in Premier League history when taking charge of Spurs' match at home to Southampton on Wednesday.

Mason was unable to call on injured talisman Harry Kane, who remains a doubt for Wembley, but he selected a more attack-minded side and was rewarded with a 2-1 victory which just about keeps Spurs in the race for Champions League qualification.

However, Tottenham were alarmingly sluggish in the opening 45 minutes against Southampton and could easily have been out of the contest before their improved second-half showing.

Gareth Bale played his part in the revival with a superb equalising goal but he was happy to hand over the credit to Mason, who he praised for delivering a positive half-time team talk.

By the end of the game Spurs were just about worthy of victory, yet their success probably owed as much to Southampton running out of steam as to their own improved showing.

Nothing less than a 90 or potentially 120-minute performance will do against City, who, unlike Southampton, are capable of playing at a high tempo from first whistle to last.

City can throw in the odd below-par effort – as they did against Chelsea – but they are usually followed by a string of convincing performances.

And there was a perfect example at Aston Villa this week when Guardiola's side responded to the shock of John McGinn's first-minute strike by powering to a well-deserved 2-1 success.

Even John Stone's 44th-minute red card was not enough to derail the Citizens, who played with the steely determination of a side anxious to get back on the trophy trail.

They need a maximum of eight more points to be confirmed as Premier League champions and Guardiola is sure to have one eye on Wednesday's massive Champions League semi-final first leg clash at Paris St-Germain.

It is perfectly possible he will save some of his first-choice line-up for the trip to Paris but wholesale changes are unlikely and that makes the task very difficult for Tottenham, who could have to endure another campaign without a trophy.

Key stat

Tottenham have scored in 13 of their last 14 matches

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