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Spurs Odyssey Champions League Preview - Manchester City v Spurs, 17.04.19

· Last week's game - Spurs 1 Manchester City 0, 09.04.19
· Last week's match preview
· See the current injury list for all Premier League Teams
· All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats


Spurs' record in Europe:-
The official crest of Tottenham Hotspur
U.E.F.A Champions League
 
 P  W   D   L   F - A
34 16   8  10  62 - 43
 
European Cup
P   W   D   L   F - A
8   4   1   3  21 - 13
 
(Semi-Finalists 1962)
 
European Cup Winners Cup
 
P   W   D   L   F - A
33  20  5   8  65 - 34
 
(Winners 1963)
 
UEFA Cup/Europa League
 P    W   D   L   F - A
140  78  36  26  276-121 
 
(Winners 1972, 1984
 Finalists 1974)
The club logo of Manchester City
Total
P    W   D   L   F - A
215 118 50  47  424-211

Make it a massive night Spurs!

Here we are then! This is match two in a three game series against Manchester City within the space of 11 days. Never in our history have we played the "Citizens" three times in such a short time. The last time we even played twice in a week was the 1981 FA Cup Final. We all remember that, and we might even sing about it tomorrow night. We need to invoke the spirit of another famous May night - that of 2010 when Peter Crouch's goal ensured our first qualification for the Champions League. Or, perhaps, we could be inspired by our last win here in February 2016, when Christian Eriksen scored a winner on his 24th birthday.

This is, of course, a massive night for both teams. Guardiola's City are still chasing a historic quadruple, although the City boss likes to include the Community Shield and would call it a quintuple. Spurs could be the ones to put an end to that piece of history. Why, who's to say that on Saturday we don't put an end to their treble hopes?!

City will be hot favourites on their own turf, of course, but we can be sure that despite enforced absences of Harry Kane, Harry Winks, Eric Dier and Serge Aurier, Mauricio Pochettino has a game plan for them, and specifically for this night. I also expect to see Guardiola shake up his tactics and come up with a selection especially for this game.

City first qualified for the Champions League in 2011, but didn't get past the Group Stage and were eliminated from the Europa League on away goals by Sporting Lisbon. The following year they finished bottom of their group, which included Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. In 2013/14 it was Barcelona who saw off the "Sky Blues" at the Round of 16 stage. These two teams met again in 2015, at the same stage, with the same end result.

In 2016, Real Madrid were City's conquerors at the semi-final stage with a 1-0 aggregate win. Away goals in an astounding 6-6 aggregate score in the 2017 Round of 16 saw a Monaco side which included Mbappe, and current City players Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy. Last year Liverpool saw off City at the quarter-final stage. Guardiola and the City executive are desperate for success at this level to cement their status as a world-renowned club.

Back in the 60s, after they won the league in 1968/69, City entered the European Cup, but were knocked out at the first hurdle by Fenerbahce. After winning the FA Cup in 1969 (I happened to be at that game), City did win the Cup Winners Cup when they beat Gornik Zabrze at Vienna 2-1. Neil Young (sadly no longer with us) scored City's winner against Leicester at Wembley, and scored one of their two goals in that European Final. Francis Lee scored the other from the penalty spot.

In my preview for last week's first leg I referred to the first of three all-English European ties. That was the December 1963 European Cup-Winners Cup tie against Manchester United. The other two such meetings came in the 70s. Famously, we beat Wolves in the 1972 UEFA Cup Final to become the first British side to win two European trophies. The first leg was played at Molineux on May 3rd, and we won 2-1 with Martin Chivers scoring both our goals. Alan Mullery, who had been recalled from a loan at Fulham, played and scored in the semi-final against AC Milan. He also scored at White Hart Lane in the 1-1 draw which secured the cup. That was "Mullers"' last game for Spurs as he saw out his playing career with Fulham, including the 1975 FA Cup Final when he played in the same team as Bobby Moore against West Ham.

The other, and less famous all-England European tie for Spurs was against Liverpool in the UEFA Cup semi-final in the following season. We played Liverpool no less than 6 times that season, knocking them out of the League Cup on our way to a successful Final. The "Reds" had the last laugh though, eliminating us from Europe on the away goals rule. Alec Lindsay is credited with Liverpool's home goal, after a Tommy Smith free kick was saved by Jennings, but went in off Lindsay's shin. Martin Peters scored both our goals at The Lane, but Steve Heighway scored between those goals, and Liverpool went through to the Final, when they beat Borussia Monchengladbach. The Liverpool side of those meetings featured Tommy Smith, who sadly died last week, aged 74.

Dele Alli has travelled with the squad and will be assessed tomorrow regarding the fracture in his hand. Erik Lamela also travelled and has trained. For City Fernandinho has also trained, having missed Sunday's game against Palace. Left back Zinchenko is still a doubt with a hamstring injury, but Guardiola has a pretty full (and expensive) squad from which to choose. Both de Bruyne and Sane, who did not enter the arena in the first leg of this tie until very late in the game, started the Palace game, as did Aguero.

Mauricio Pochettino has said we must approach this game as if we had drawn the first leg 0-0. However, we do have a one goal advantage, and if we can get just one goal, City will need three. I am thinking we may play a 3-4-3 formation which can easily give us five at the back when City are on the attack. I am thinking on the lines of Lloris (Capt); Sanchez, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Trippier, Sissoko, Dele, Rose; Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Son. I am also thinking that we could do this you know, and qualify for our first ever Champions League semi-final.

COME ON YOU SPURS!

Our match referee is Mr. Cuneyt Cakir, who is from Turkey. The assistant referees are also Turkish, but other officials come from Portugal and Italy. Mr. Cakir was in charge of our 1-0 home win over Inter last November, and our 3-1 home win against Real Madrid the previous year. Three wins in a row would be very nice thanks!

· "It was Twenty Years ago today!" - Steffen Iversen scored our goal in a 1-0 away win against Nottingham Forest. This was our last league meeting with Forest.

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