Tottenham v Man City: Who makes the cut in our combined XI?

The two Premier League giants meet this weekend

Rewind a few seasons and a combined line-up of Tottenham and Manchester City would have been pretty one-sided.

Pep Guardiola’s side dominated English football for a number of years and they’re generally regarded as one of Europe’s best teams.

But a slow start to the season and several key injuries, combined with Tottenham’s resurgence under Jose Mourinho, makes the selection process slightly more difficult.

Spurs have been relentless in attack so far and find themselves just one point off top, five points clear of 10th-placed City.

As ever with our combined line-ups, those unable to play this weekend are not available for selection.

GK – Ederson

City haven’t been firing on all cylinders this season but their issues mainly stem from further up the pitch. They’ve conceded just nine times in the Premier League this season, the same as Tottenham, with five of those coming in a freak bad day at the office against Leicester.

Hugo Lloris is unlucky to miss out following a promising start to the season but his history of mistakes, coupled with Ederson’s consistency, sees the Brazilian given the nod.

RB – Kyle Walker

Few Tottenham fans would argue against the inclusion of their former defender here, particularly with Matt Doherty unavailable after testing positive for COVID-19.

Walker is enjoying an impressive season for City and his defensive performances have earned him a regular spot as part of England’s back three.

However, his defensive stability hasn’t stopped him venturing forwards and he demonstrated his attacking qualities with a stunning winner at Sheffield United last month.

CB – Toby Alderweireld

Following compatriot Jan Vertonghen’s summer departure, Alderweireld is now the senior defender at Spurs and he’s stepped up to the role comfortably alongside Eric Dier.

After being dropped early in the season, the Belgian’s return to the side has yielded two clean sheets in four games and his experience sees him picked ahead of City newbie Ruben Dias.

CB – Aymeric Laporte

The 26-year-old is undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s finest defenders when fully fit, with his spell on the sidelines last term coinciding with City’s drop in form.

Laporte has featured five times in all competitions so far this season and City have conceded only twice with him on the pitch. The Frenchman watched from the bench as his side shipped five goals at home to Leicester.

LB – Sergio Reguilón

Left-back has been a problem position for City for some time and although João Cancelo has deputised wonderfully this term, Spurs’ new recruit has hit the ground running in north London.

The Spaniard’s pace gives his side a new dynamic going forward and he’s already returned three assists in all competitions.

CM – Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Much like Reguilón, the arrival of Højbjerg has revitalised Tottenham, giving them the bite in the middle of the park that they’ve been missing in recent seasons.

The Dane’s ability to break up play and get Spurs back up the pitch quickly takes the pressure off the rest of the midfield, allowing the attacking players to flourish.

CM – Kevin De Bruyne

The midfield maestro would get into any team in the world. De Bruyne has already laid on seven assists this season, including six in his last four games.

Despite missing a penalty last time out against Liverpool, the Belgian has continued his majestic form from last season. It’s scary to think how many more assists he could provide playing behind Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

CM – Phil Foden

It makes sense to pick players in form and Foden fits the bill after a superb performance in England’s win over Iceland last night. The City playmaker provided the cross for Declan Rice’s opener before scoring twice himself late on.

Foden is enjoying more playing time under Guardiola this season and the ease with which he shifts his way past defenders would be well utilised in this dynamic midfield.

RW – Son Heung-min

This front three pretty much picks itself this season and it’s no surprise to see the South Korean in our line-up. Son has already scored eight Premier League goals this season, just three less than he managed in the whole of the last campaign.

Four of those strikes came in a crushing 5-2 win at Southampton in September, while he also netted twice in Spurs’ 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United.

LW – Raheem Sterling

Despite missing England’s games over the international break through injury, Sterling is expected to be fit enough to play this weekend, so he makes it into our line-up.

Injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero have forced City to play without a recognised striker for much of the campaign but Sterling has still managed to impress, scoring five times and providing five assists in all competitions.

ST – Harry Kane

Aguero could also be fit for the clash on Saturday but even in ordinary circumstances he’d struggle to push Kane out of the line-up.

The striker has well and truly put his fitness issues behind him and is enjoying arguably his best season in a Spurs shirt.

Not only has he been deadly in front of goal, scoring 13 times, but he’s been unselfish in laying on goals for his team-mates, racking up 10 assists so far.

View the latest football odds.

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication