After both teams began the Premier League season in style against inferior opponents, Manchester City and Tottenham will meet in the early Saturday kickoff.
City trounced Wolves 4-0 on the road to start their campaign, with Erling Haaland striking twice to lead the way and announce his return to prominence after a season of, by his standards, slight regression.
Spurs, meanwhile, welcomed newly promoted Burnley back to the top flight with a 3-0 victory that included a spectacular brace from Richarlison, who is also hoping to rebound after a difficult 2024/25 season.
Just as those two strikers are looking to bounce back, so too are the clubs. City failed to win the league title after a record-setting four-year run, while Spurs finished 17th in the league table, a dismal result even as they paired that with Europa League glory.
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Man City vs. Tottenham prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Man City (-215 on DraftKings)
- Score prediction: Man City 3-1 Tottenham
While Spurs handled Burnley with ease, this will be the first true test of the London club under Thomas Frank against a top-tier opponent.
If there's a time to attack City this season, it's now, with Pep Guardiola still getting Rodri back to full fitness and the goalkeeper situation unsettled. The 10-time English champions certainly have their weaknesses at the moment, but Frank's record does not necessarily indicate he is capable of securing victory here.
Both times Frank has managed to beat City while managing Brentford, he kept a lid on Guardiola's attack, winning 2-1 and 1-0 in consecutive matches through the 2022/23 season. In six other meetings between Frank and Guardiola, City scored a combined 11 goals with Brentford managing only four. If Spurs can't keep City out, which is unlikely after conceding 0.94 xG to Burnley coming off a season when they struggled mightily at the back, it's hard to imagine Spurs picking up points.
| DraftKings (USA) | |
| Man City win | -215 |
| Draw | +400 |
| Tottenham win | +500 |
| Both teams to score | Y: -155 N: +120 |
| Over / Under 3.5 goals | O: +120 U: -150 |
| Man City -1.5 goals | +105 |
| Tottenham +1.5 goals | -150 |
Man City vs. Tottenham match facts
- Date: Saturday, August 23, 2025
- Kickoff Time: 12:30 p.m. local (7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT)
- Location: Etihad Stadium (Manchester, England)
- Referee: Peter Bankes, VAR: Andy Madley
- Last meeting: Tottenham 0-1 Man City (Feb. 26, 2025 | Premier League)
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Man City vs. Tottenham best bet
- Pick: Total goals in first half OVER 1.5
- Odds: +110 (DraftKings)
- Pick: Goal scored in first 15 minutes
- Odds: +145 (DraftKings)
Nobody in the Premier League scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes of games last season than Tottenham and Manchester City, with Spurs first on 15 and City second with 13. From there, City scored the most first-half goals of any club last season with 41, while Spurs had 33, joint-fifth in the league.
The only goal of their most recent meeting back in February came 12 minutes into the match, while six of the past eight goals scored between these clubs have come in the first half. Expect early fireworks, which will be great for neutral viewers.
Man City vs. Tottenham prop bet
- Pick: Tijjani Reijnders to assist a goal
- Odds: +330 on FanDuel
While Erling Haaland scored a brace, City's star of their opening match was new signing Tijjani Reijnders. The former AC Milan midfielder scored one himself and assisted another, proving a deadly threat in the attacking third.
While Reijnders got three shots himself, it's nearly impossible to pick out who on this City team, outside of Haaland, will have chances in front of goal on a week-to-week basis. Omar Marmoush was only a substitute at Molineux and Phil Foden is still getting back to full fitness. Instead, we can focus on the creative abilities that the Dutchman possesses.
Over the past year, Reijnders ranks exceedingly high among midfielders in progressing the ball forward and getting into dangerous areas. He had five touches in the penalty area against Wolves, and while he managed only one shot assist, he is primed to contribute further in the creative process moving forward. Man City are light on wide creativity, with Oscar Bobb currently starting on the right after missing almost all of 2024/25 through injury. Savinho has been linked with a move to their weekend opponents and Jeremy Doku was unable to find the joy his teammates did last weekend.
That leaves the team in need of Reijnders' creativity at the moment, where he should be a more consistent presence as opposed to his goalscoring which will undoubtedly fluctuate. Given Reijnders is just +100 to score or assist, the 3/1 option for assisting a goal is much more enticing.