Match Preview: City @ Spurs

Over the last few seasons, Tottenham Hotspur have proven to be a shoe in victory for Manchester City. The last time these two sides met in October, Sergio Aguero netted four goals as City cruised at the Etihad. A porous Spurs defense led to the stellar win, which City's seventh out of eight against them.

This go 'round City is going into White Hart Lane attempting to avoid their sixth consecutive away loss, something that hasn't happened since April 2006. Coming off a last minute victory against Aston Villa that saw them give up two sloppy goals, City is looking to gain more ground in the top four, especially having Arsenal a point back with a game in hand. With Chelsea a shoe in to win the League and Europa placement slipping further away, there isn't much else to play for in either team's case.

In the last three matches these teams have played, the total result has been 15-2 in City's favor. Expect a challenge from Spurs as Harry Kane is always a threat, but City will more than likely dominate the midfield even without Yaya Toure. Eloquim Mangala will be the focus once again as he faces a rather deceptive Harry Kane, so look for that match within the match to develop.

As the 2014-15 campaign comes to a close, the title defense has gone without a whimper. It's imperative that City finish as strong as possible, if not only for Pellegrini's sake, but some of the players on the squad as well.

Predicted Lineup: Hart, Kolarov, Mangala, Demichelis, Zabaleta, Fernando, Lampard, Silva, Milner, Navas, Aguero

Predicted Substitutes: Caballero, Boyata, Fernandinho, Nasri, Clichy, Bony, Dzeko