Sport week
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Phil Foden nets
for Man CityYour ultimate guide to the best of the week’s live action
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The Etihad faithful welcome back
the Premier League champions on
Saturday as Manchester City take
on Tottenham Hotspur in their
first home game of the new season.
After completing the domestic
treble in May, City have wasted no
time in picking up more silverware,
defeating Liverpool on penalties
in the Community Shield earlier
this month. But Spurs are sure to
provide a stern early challenge
to Pep Guardiola’s men, especially
after knocking them out of the
Champions League in April ina sensational quarter-final second
leg in Manchester (see panel, right).
Spurs finished fourth last season,
a huge 27 points behind City, and
boss Mauricio Pochettino will be
hoping to push harder for the title
this time round as the club begin
their first full season in their
spectacular new stadium.
However, Tottenham will be
without Son Heung-min for the
Etihad clash, with the striker
serving out a red-card ban, while
Dele Alli is a doubt due to
a hamstring injury
that ruled him
out of Spurs’
opener against
Aston Villa.The north London side have
finished in the top four in each of
the past four seasons, but their
form in the final third of last
season was poor – in fact, only
the bottom four teams took fewer
points in the Premier League
after Valentine’s Day.
In a bid to win Spurs’
first league title since
1961, Pochettino has
brought in France
midfielder
Tanguy
Ndombele
from Lyon
for a new club
record of
£53.8million.Like Spurs, City have splashed
the cash over the Summer break,
recruiting Spain midfielder Rodri
from Atlético Madrid for a club
record £62.8million. Meanwhile,
the return of Kevin De Bruyne,
who missed a large portion of
last season through injury, could
prove significant, as he reminded
fans with a fine display in the
Community Shield.
It could also be a big season for
Phil Foden. The 19-year-old made
only three starts in City’s successful
defence of their title – although
he could be in line for a more
prominent role this season after
Guardiola called him the ‘most
talented player’ he has ever seen.LIVE FOOTBALL
Sat, Sky Sports Main Event HD & Sky Sports
Premier League HD, kick-off 5.30pmManchester
City v Spurs
Fernando Llorente
scores during the
Champions League
quarter-finalSpurs’ new
signing Tanguy
NdombeleCan the title rivals serve up
another sensational encounter?