Man City boss Pep Guardiola ready for ‘tough final’ at Tottenham Hotspur

LONDON – The blockbuster clash in the FA Cup fourth round will see Tottenham Hotspur host holders Manchester City on Jan 26 in what promises to be a thrilling battle, especially after a 3-3 English Premier League draw between both sides in December.

City embarked on their Cup defence with an easy 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the previous round, while Spurs beat former City captain Vincent Kompany’s Burnley side 1-0.

That win over Huddersfield was City’s fifth in a row in all competitions, before Pep Guardiola’s men notched a sixth triumph with a last-gasp 3-2 victory over Newcastle United last weekend in the Premier League.

City will head into the clash with Tottenham with confidence, but Guardiola has urged his team not to be complacent as he believes it is more than just a fourth-round match.

“It’s a final and it’s tough at Spurs. We have played well there, but not scored there yet,” said the City boss. “They have been better than us so far.”

Guardiola is wary that his side have lost all five fixtures at Tottenham’s new ground without scoring a single goal.

They attempted 84 shots with 22 on target in those five games without finding the net.

But since a 1-0 Premier League defeat by Aston Villa in December, City have scored at least two goals in each of their last nine games in all competitions, so momentum would be on their side.

Spurs, however, have also won 12 of their last 13 home matches in the FA Cup – drawing the other – since losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace in 2016 at White Hart Lane.

So while City are in good form, they will first need to banish their poor record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Their aim to score and win will be tougher, as Guardiola will not have star striker Erling Haaland back after the Norwegian suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from injury.

Manuel Akanji is also injured while fellow centre-back John Stones will travel but is not fully fit.

“Training camp was good (in Abu Dhabi) and he trained here the last few days. But he’s not perfect (to start),” the manager added of Haaland.

Off the pitch, City have signed 18-year-old Argentinian midfielder Claudio Echeverri from River Plate on a contract until June 2028, the club announced on Jan 25.

Echeverri will remain at the Buenos Aires club, where he has made six appearances since his debut last June, until January 2025.

In the Spurs camp, manager Ange Postecoglou is again hoping to end the club’s 16-year wait for a major trophy since they won the 2008 League Cup.

With no European football this season and an early exit from the League Cup, the Australian boss had time to put his ideas and attacking philosophy across to his team – although the price to pay was the increase in injuries.

Tottenham have not suffered a fourth-round exit in the FA Cup since 2018-19 and chances are Postecoglou will instruct his men to carry on attacking in order to beat City.

Not since they drew 0-0 with AC Milan in March 2023 have Spurs failed to score at home in any tournament, a proud record that the Tottenham boss – who was appointed in June – would want to continue.

Postecoglou will be boosted by the return of key playmaker James Maddison, who is “available to start”.

“Team news wise, everyone has got through well,” he added.

“We gave them a few days off, which I think was good for them. (Maddison) is back training with the group. And Ben (Davies) and Dane Scarlett also began training, so it’s good to get the numbers back up.”

He will miss the injured Giovani lo Celso, Manor Solomon and Alejo Veliz, while captain Son Heung-min, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are away at the Asian Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.

REUTERS