Manchester City v Tottenham predictions: Citizens to bounce back from derby loss

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester City v Tottenham in the Premier League on Thursday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 8pm Thursday

Best bet

Manchester City to win & over 2.5 goals
1pt 20-23 BoyleSports

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Team news

Manchester City
Ruben Dias and John Stones have been pictured back in training for the hosts but it is unclear if either are ready to start and Pep Guardiola may opt for Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake again. Kevin De Bruyne was not in training on Tuesday but is still expected to start.

Tottenham
Spurs can welcome back Rodrigo Bentancur, while Richarlison is available after appearing in the north London derby. Lucas Moura is still sidelined.

Match preview

Manchester City and Tottenham succumbed to gut-punching derby defeats last weekend and both sides head into their clash at the Etihad in desperate need of points as the title race and battle for the top four intensify.

City were first up on Saturday and looked as though they would pass a tricky Old Trafford test when taking the lead against United on the hour mark but goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford consigned them to a 2-1 defeat.

And Tottenham followed suit on Sunday, looking sluggish and devoid of creativity in a 2-0 loss to north London derby rivals Arsenal.

City now trail the Gunners by eight points in the race for the title, while Spurs find themselves five points adrift of the Champions League places and both clubs are going through rough patches.

William Hill are offering odds of 150-1 on Tottenham to beat Manchester City on Thursday. Click here to find out more

That said, the grass looks a lot greener for City than Spurs.

Pep Guardiola's men started the year with successive wins to nil over Chelsea, had rung the changes for their EFL Cup defeat to Southampton and more than held their own in the Manchester derby, amassing 71 per cent possession.

It was a controversial strike from Fernandes, which could have been given offside on another day, that pulled United back into that game and it was no disgrace to lose to the Red Devils given their form right now.

As for Spurs, their problems run deeper.

Since returning from the World Cup break, Antonio Conte's side have won two, drawn one and lost two of their five matches in all competitions.

Against league leaders Arsenal, Tottenham struggled to get close to their opponents, falling 2-0 down by 36 minutes.

They improved after the break but struggled to carve out many clear-cut opportunities and there are still plenty of reservations about their defensive displays this season.

They have kept only five clean sheets in their 19 Premier League assignments this season - the likes of Brentford, Leicester and Nottingham Forest can better that total - and have conceded at least twice in eight of their last nine league fixtures.

It is not unusual for Tottenham to spring a surprise against City but the mood looks low in the camp, Conte cuts a frustrated figure and the defensive deficiencies are there for all to see.

Guardiola may have started the mind games early, ruling City out of the title race, but he will be expecting a response at the Etihad and that spells bad news for Tottenham.

City could well turn it on in this one and backing a win for the hosts in a game featuring at least three goals looks a decent betting approach.