The EFL Cup is pretty low down the list of priorities for Manchester City this season and Tottenham fans will be hoping Pep Guardiola plays a few kids when he takes the Premier League champions to London for this last-16 tie.
Ange Postecoglou made a rod for his own back when claiming he always wins a trophy in his second season at a club and this tournament looks like Spurs' best chance of ending their long wait for silverware.
The Aussie certainly needs a win to get the fans back onside after Sunday's 1-0 Premier League loss at Crystal Palace, a game that brought up a corners bet for Slips Tips.
It was a much better weekend for Manchester City as they beat Southampton 1-0 on Saturday to go top of the league then saw title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal both drop points a day later in their 2-2 draw at Emirates.
But Guardiola's squad is being stretched at the moment with a few players out injured and the City boss has admitted he might be forced to play some academy players in this cup tie if some of his main men need a rest.
How the bookies view it: Tottenham tempting at 13/5
Despite Guardiola hinting that he might play a weakened team, Manchester City remain Betano's favourites for this one at 21/20. Tottenham Hotspur look a little overpriced at 9/5 while the draw pays 13/5.
Recent head to head: Jinx in the City armour
Spurs have been a tough nut to crack for Guardiola's all-conquering side, with City winning just five of the last 12 meetings. But two of those victories came last season after the sides had battled out a 3-3 thriller in the first of three meetings in league and cup.
Players to watch: Haaland price longer than usual
Manchester City have been relying heavily on Erling Haaland for goals this season and he brought up a first scorer bet for our man Andy against Saints. The Norwegian rarely gets rested by Guardiola and it's probably because he doesn't do much running. Haaland is a tempting 20/21 with Bet365 for a goal here and is 7/2 to break the deadlock.
I'd imagine Postecoglou will field a strong side for this one and he will be looking for Dominic Solanke to get back among the goals. The striker has gone five games without scoring and is 2/1 to get back on track.
Probable line-ups
Spurs skipper Son Heung-min was a big miss at the weekend and Postecoglou will be hoping he can recover in time to feature here. City look set to be without Jack Wilshere, Jeremy Doku and Kyle Walker again while Kevin De Bruyne still isn't ready to return.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Udogie, Romero, Porro, Van de Ven, Bentancur, Maddison, Sar, Solanke, Johnson, Kulusevski.
Manchester City: Ortega, Stones, Ake, Akanji, Lewis, Gundogan, O'Reilly, Foden, Nunes, McAtee, Haaland.
Anything else catch the eye?
If Guardiola does rest a few players, Spurs will have a good chance of going through and backing them to qualify for the quarter-finals looks good value at 11/10 with Bet365.
This should be a decent watch as Postecoglou will have a go at City and Guardiola's team have the pace and class to punish Spurs on the counter attack. Over 3.5 goals looks good at 11/10 with Betano and adding on BTTS boosts the odds to 6/5.
Both these teams have been racking up heaps of corners so it could pay to back over 11.5 flag kicks at 49/50 with Unibet. The same firm also offer 23/20 on over 5.5 Tottenham corners and that bet has landed in their last five matches.
This EFL Cup match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City will be played on Oct 30, 2024 and kick off at 20:15. Check below for our tipsters best Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
