Here we go. The new football season is here at last. It seems like an age ago since little old City lifted the Premier League title in May at home to Everton, when the legend that is Sergio Aguero signed off his City career with two final goals.
The blues kick-off the 29th Premier League season away at Spurs, giving the blues hierarchy an opportunity to persuade the Spurs board into selling Harry Kane to us before the transfer window shuts.
As usual, we’ll be bringing you all the pre-match articles, including classic matches, a look at how the two teams fared in last season’s corresponding fixture and all the stats ahead of the match, so let’s get on with the latter.
Sunday’s match will be the fourth time in 40 years these two teams have met on the opening day of the season with City yet to record a win. They last met on day one in 2010, when the two played out a 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane.
Fifteen years earlier, City welcomed Spurs to Maine Road, with the match ending 1-1, and the other match was the first after the 1990 World Cup, when a Gary Lineker inspired Spurs beat the blues 3-1.
In the Premier League era, City have travelled to Spurs three times in August, with each team winning one with the other drawn. In 1993, Spurs won 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Steve Sedgley. On 14th August 2010, Joe Hart claimed the Number One shirt and make a string of saves to deny Spurs an opening day win, while in 2011, Edin Dzeko hit four past Spurs and Aguero got his third of the season as City hammered the home side 5-1.
Between March 2005 and December 2009, City lost six straight Premier League matches at White Hart Lane, five ending 2-1 to Spurs with the other a 3-0 beating. Since then, the two have played 11 matches at Spurs, with the home side winning five (including the last two) and City taking maximum points also on five occasions, two of those ending in a 5-1 result for City.
The blues are yet to score in Tottenham’s new stadium, a run of three games and they will be looking to end that streak on Sunday.
Nuno Espirito Santos will take charge of Spurs for the first time in the Premier League.
Son Heung-min has scored six goals in all competitions against the blues and has scored in all three meetings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
City lost at Spurs in November, but then went on an incredible unbeaten run that saw League Cup and Premier League success and a Champions League final.
The blues have not lost an opening day fixture since they lost 4-2 at Villa Park in August 2008, and last failed to win on the opening day in 2010. The opponents? Spurs away (did you even read the bit above)?
Another record for City to aim for is the run of opening day victories. If they beat Spurs on Sunday, they will record their 11th successive opening day win, passing Aston Villa’s record of 10, set between 1892-93 – 1900-01 seasons.
Jack Grealish could make his City debut at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Prediction:
City have lost the last two and are due a win at Spurs. 0-2