· Declan Mulcahy's History of this fixture
· This season's League Match - Man City 0 Spurs 0
· Carling Cup - Spurs 3 Man City 1
Spurs go to the City of Manchester Stadium for the second time this season, in good heart. When we played there in the league on 28th September we were "lucky to get nil", as the saying goes! It was Spurs second game under David Pleat, and the second consecutive clean sheet. The good run continued for us for a month, before the Pleat honeymoon was over as results deteriorated, and Spurs plummeted down into the relegation zone.
However, now the tables are turned, as Spurs are in the top half of the form table, and Man City are in the bottom three, judged on their last 6 league games. City's 3-1 win over (in my view) a very poor Leicester side in the 3rd Round replay, should not gloss over their miserable run of 12 league games since a win on 1st November.
Michael Brown is looking forward to celebrating his birthday at his old stomping ground, and has every reason to believe he will be in the starting line-up, although, if Ledley King is fit, Brown may be on the bench. Dean Richards has just returned to training, but I would not expect to see him challenge the successful central pairing of Doherty and Gardner. Jamie Redknapp too has just started training again, but surely he will have a great battle to get back into the first team? Maybe I'll see him in the reserves on Monday night.
Helder Postiga of course will be more confident, having opened his league scoring account last week, and remember, he did score against this opposition when we beat City in the 3rd Round of the Carling Cup.
On that day, City played Stuhr-Ellegard in goal, with Seaman out injured. This time, Seaman has retired, and new keeper David James is cup-tied. Kevin Keegan was last heard of looking for a keeper for this competition on a loan arrangement, but I have heard no confirmation of that. Perhaps Peter Schmeichel's young son, Kaspar, will get a game?
As always, the danger will be Anelka, if he chooses to perform, but I fancy Spurs to repeat the scoreline of the Carling Cup tie and win by 3 goals to 1. The 5,000+ contingent of Spurs fans will be singing Ricky Villa's name at some stage in proceedings, but I would hope not to see the line of Police Horses that were across the pitch at maine Road, when Nayim's hat-trick helped us to win 4-2 11 years ago.
COME ON YOU SPURS!
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