Sky Sports pundit states his prediction for Tottenham v Man City
Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas is backing Manchester City to ease to a 3-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday
Charlie Nicholas is backing Manchester City to ease to a 3-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday evening.
The defending Premier League champions have seen their chances of retaining the title for a third successive season fade over the past couple of months.
Manchester City booked their place in the League Cup final on Wednesday night despite a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the second leg of their semi-final.
The Citizens progressed to the Wembley showpiece against Aston Villa thanks to a 3-2 aggregate win after their impressive performance at Old Trafford last month proved sufficient.
Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games, collecting 13 points from a possible 15.
Tottenham, on the other hand, have only managed to win two of their last six top-flight outings to fall six points adrift of Chelsea FC in the race to secure a Champions League spot.
Spurs were 2-1 winners against the Premier League’s basement club Norwich City in their last top-flight fixture.
Former Arsenal midfielder Nicholas is backing Manchester City to secure a 3-1 win against Spurs on Sunday evening.
“Tottenham got an amazing deal with £16m for Christian Eriksen. I thought Inter Milan would wait until the summer,” Nicholas told Sky Sports.
“They have got out of jail with that, but you cannot get out of jail with their defence, even with Hugo Lloris back. They are sapped of all energy and Eric Dier looks like he is running through treacle. Why have they brought a winger in Steven Bergwijn? They have it all wrong.
“This is not a Jose Mourinho signing. This is about business and bringing in some money. Can Jose get them to the top four? I am not sure.
“Man City on the other hand, have been racking up some goals. Leroy Sane is back in training but Aymeric Laporte is back – what a massive boost that is.
“Raheem Sterling has been so quiet but he is ready to spark at some point and he does like a London trip, so this could be the one for him.”
Manchester City will take on West Ham on Saturday 9 February, while Spurs make the most of their winter break.
Roles will be reversed a week later when the defending champions put their feet up but Spurs take on Aston Villa.
