After last week's bad loss to Everton, Pep Guardiola essentially conceded the fact that his Manchester City team isn't getting back in the EPL championship race. Interestingly enough, this statement came on the same day that Tottenham stated its claim to get back into the EPL title chase by moving within seven points of Chelsea. If City takes the three points when these two teams meet at the Etihad on Saturday night, the two teams will be in the exact same boat once again.
Don't miss the BPL action from Etihad Stadium at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 21, 2016. Catch every moment of the match live on NBC.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester City +112
Tottenham +252
Draw +251
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Generally speaking, Manchester City is an odds-on favorite when it plays at home. It's true that it might end up getting there by the time this match kicks off, but as of the writing of this article, the Citizens are only set at +112, insinuating that Tottenham is better than a 50/50 bet to get at least a point from this crucial tilt. The Spurs, in fact, are basically priced exactly the same as the draw, and that's proof enough to us that this is a winnable fixture even though it's being played at the Etihad.
The total is fairly average nowadays at 2.5 with -136 vig on the over.
Key Injuries
Even though it's been a tough year for injuries and suspensions for the Citizens, they're not in the worst shape right now. Ilkay Gundogan is certainly not going to put a kit on again for a while, while Fernandinho has been suspended for four matches thanks to a dangerous play that gave him a red card against Burnley. He won't be back until February 5.
Tottenham got bad news on the injury front on Jan Vertonghen. It's entirely possible that he's going to miss the rest of the regular season thanks to a bad ankle injury suffered against West Brom last week, but for sure, he'll be out through the end of March. Erik Lamela hasn't played in a while thanks to a hip injury as well.
Recent Form
Manchester City has to get back in the saddle in a hurry. The team was disastrously bad against Everton last week at Goodison Park, a 4-0 loss that came out of nowhere, really. The Citizens had won five of their previous six matches across all competitions, and there were nine days between the 5-0 win over West Ham in the FA Cup and the match at Everton. Instead, City was always on the back foot and never had anything going its way, and that's why the match ended in complete and utter embarrassment.
Tottenham meanwhile, just keeps coming. The team beat Aston Villa to advance in the FA Cup before crushing West Brom 4-0 in the EPL, and that's now seven straight victories for one of the top teams in England. Do the Spurs really have staying power? That's perhaps the biggest question right now in all of England.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Coming into last week, you would have had to question Man City not being an odds-on favorite in this match. Now after the bad showing at Goodison Park? Maybe not so much.
But we're still going to give the nod to Manchester City in spite of the fact that it wouldn't be shocking if the Spurs did pull this one off. Though Guardiola has said that the team is done, there's still a lot to play for – including perhaps an EPL title if some fire can be caught. The sight of a Tottenham team that beat City 2-0 at White Hart Lane in October could be just what the Citizens need to see some red in their eyes and get them playing well again.
BPL Odds: Manchester City 3, Tottenham 1
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
