Event of the Day: Manchester City versus Tottenham Hotspur
Our event of the day is the Premier League fixture between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium. Manchester City look to extend their unbeaten domestic streak to ten games while Tottenham look to keep the top of the table tight. The hosts sit in fifth place, five points behind leaders Liverpool and only two behind Manchester City. It is sure to be a hard-fought match between two ambitious sides. Manchester City came into 2018-19 season as the defending Premier League champions following a record-breaking campaign in the 2017-18 season. So far, they have continued this dominant performance, winning seven and drawing two of their first nine games. This is a testament to the strength of Manchester City’s squad, as little changed over the summer. The major change was the addition of Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City. Mahrez has scored three goals in nine domestic appearance and serves to bolster the potent Manchester City attack. Spurs, who finished last season in 3rd place, have looked to continue their recent run of success, having finished in the top three for the past three seasons.
However, after making few moves over the summer, Spurs have had to fight hard to keep pace with a resurgent Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as the dominant Manchester City. Spurs have only scored sixteen goals this season, with Harry Kane leading the team with five goals. While they have won seven of their nine games, losses to Watford and Liverpool have marred the season, causing them to fall behind Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City. Coming into the match, Tottenham ride a four-game domestic winning streak, but they will be without Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen, significantly weakening their defence. However, Dele Alli could make his return for Spurs after a four-game absence due to a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Manchester City come off a strong performance against Shaktar Donetsk in the Champions League. Manager Pep Guardiola described the team’s performance as the “best football” they had produced under him. It is all set-up for a great night of Premier League football at Wembley Stadium.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to Day 1 of the ATP Rolex Paris Masters. The final event of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the tournament is a chance to end the 2018 tennis season on a high. Local favourite Richard Gasquet is up against the exciting Canadian, Denis Shapovalov. Another great match see Frances Tiaofe from the USA take on Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. With the final ATP trophy of the year up for grabs, expect some exciting tennis. Elsewhere, in the NBA, the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors clash at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. In the NHL, the Atlantic Division leading Toronto Maple Leafs host the Pacific Division mid-table Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Arena. In the NFL, the New England Patriots look to continue their recovery from a slow start to the season as they face the struggling Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur