A glimmer of hope: history favours Tottenham Hotspur to derail Manchester City juggernaut
The Premier League leaders travel to White Hart Lane out to maintain their perfect start to the new season, but history favours the home side after visitors suffer Champions League wobble
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City go head-to-head in the English Premier League on Sunday and, as well as Spurs themselves, the other title hopefuls will be hoping the home side can bring a halt to the 100 per cent domestic record currently held by Pep Guardiola’s side.
If City take their winning run to seven games, they will be at least five points clear of the pack by the end of the weekend and would go into the next international break at least six points ahead of neighbours Manchester United and definitely seven in front of Tottenham. That would be some head start for Guardiola’s title favourites.
Of course, we know that for any team life is never easy in the Premier League for very long. Think back 12 months to City’s flying start in their final season under Manuel Pellegrini, when they won their first five league matches and looked unstoppable.
But then came the first signs of trouble when they lost at home to Juventus in the Champions League and suffered defeats in their next two Premier League matches, the second of which was a 4-1 drubbing at Tottenham.
Guardiola’s serene progress was interrupted in the Champions League on Wednesday night when Celtic’s players and fans provided a stern test of City’s character in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
City trailed three times and, although they rescued a point, other teams will have seen they are far from invincible.