Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City: Tough Opener as 2021/22 Arrives

The wait is over and a new Premier League season is finally here. For some, that wait has been met with trepidation rather than anticipation but it’s a new start and we’ll be determined to keep this upbeat.

There are reasons to be positive: The new signings look promising with Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero ready to shake up a tired squad while reserve keeper Pierluigi Gollini looks as though he could actually challenge Hugo Lloris rather than just occupy the bench.

The fixture list has handed us one of the toughest opening games possible but let’s see if there are any genuine reasons for optimism ahead of Sunday’s kick off.

Team News

harry kane
Harry Kane

The obvious question asked by the media throughout the week relates to Harry Kane and whether he would be lining up in Spurs’ starting XI. While the likes of Sky Sports and others would have been delighted to see it, there was no way that Kane would have been playing in Sky Blue. If a transfer were to go through, it would have been delayed until after this weekend.

There is, however, a concern over Harry’s fitness after a delayed return to training and he may start from the subs’ bench. The same issues centre over new signing Cristian Romero but he also has a knee problem and is set to miss out completely.

The other injury within the camp concerns Ryan Sessegnon who has a hamstring problem and there is no date set for his return.

Match Odds

Markets have been in place for the opening weekend for some time and there’s been little change in the match odds. Manchester City are clear favourites for the three points and you can back the away side at 3/5 with Betway and Unibet.

The draw is next up at 16/5 with GentingBet and VBet while a win for Spurs is quoted at 23/5 with VBet once again.

It’s the first game of the new campaign with no real form guide to call upon but those figures certainly aren’t surprising. City dominated the second half of last season while Spurs fell away before finishing in seventh place.

We have faced tough pre-season opponents and earned positive results against Chelsea and Arsenal while Manchester City lost in the Community Shield to Leicester City last weekend. There’s little to go on so we will just need to be hopeful of at least a point on Sunday.

Side Bets

Son-Heung Min
Son-Heung Min

Opposition players dominate the first goalscorer betting with Raheem Sterling starting as favourite at best odds of 23/4 with Unibet. Following on, Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres are quoted at a top price of 13/2 with Unibet once again.

Harry Kane finally makes an appearance and, while he’s as short as 9/2 in places, our main striker is quoted at a best of 7/1 – also with Unibet. Slightly further down, Son Heung Min is on offer at 38/5 with VBet.

Other options in a Spurs shirt include Lucas Moura at 16/1 with Unibet, Steven Bergwijn at 16/1 with GentingBet and Dele Alli at 16/1 with Unibet.

Moving on to team bets, Both Teams to Score is available for this game at best odds of 10/11 with MansionBet. Those who read these previews last season will know that we start to become interested whenever BTTS gets close to Even Money so that will be worth a look.

Total Goals looks a little less exciting with a top price of 13/16 with VBet on offer to go Above the 2.5 line. If we push that one step further, a best of 41/20 with Unibet awaits for Over 3.5 goals.

We’ll finish as we did last year with a selection of Correct Score possibilities. A 2-2 draw is on offer at best odds of 17/1 with 10Bet and MansionBet for those who expect a high scoring share of the points. Meanwhile, a 2-1 victory for the favourites is listed at 29/4 with SportNation while the same outcome in favour of Spurs is available at a best of 18/1 with 10Bet and MansionBet again.

Last Season

The corresponding fixture from 2020/21 resulted in a 2-0 home win. Unfortunately for Spurs and the rest of the Premier League, it somehow seemed to inspire City to go on an extended unbeaten run.

The game was played at the end of November and Son-Heung Min opened the scoring on five minutes before Giovani Lo Celso doubled the lead in the second half. Like all sides, we’ve been on the wrong end of some heavy defeats to Sunday’s opponents but our recent head to head record against Manchester City is a reasonable one.

Across our last eight matches, we’ve lost four, won three and drawn one. I’m sure that will be better than most and that 4-3 defeat in the Champions League two seasons ago was as good as a win.

Verdict

Nobody really knows what to expect from the first game of the season, no matter how strong the opponents might be. Most pundits felt that Manchester City would breeze past The Foxes in the Community Shield and, since that defeat, there have been supposed issues with their preparation.

We’ll therefore go in with cautious optimism: Issues in the squad remain but the new signings are interesting and we’re looking forward to the contributions of Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero. As with last season, we won’t be tipping any result so it’s a case of looking at the side bets.

Both Teams to Score is under Even Money but only just. The bookies don’t necessarily expect us to find the net but that’s a good price, even if Son Heung-Min may be our sole source of goals.

Speaking of Sonny, he’s also a good option to score in 90 minutes. He has a good record against these opponents and if Kane is unavailable, he won’t shirk the added responsibility.

Best Bets:

  • Son Heung-Min to score at any time in 90 minutes at 11/4 with Unibet
  • Both Teams to Score at 10/11 with MansionBet
  • Over 3.5 Goals at 41/20 with Unibet

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