Marmoush and Cherki start against Spurs | OneFootball

Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki both start against Spurs with Bernardo and Jeremy Doku dropping to the bench - the only changes from last weekend's opening day win over Wolves.

That means James Trafford, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri will all make their first start on home soil.

On the bench, their are welcome returns for Rodri, Phil Foden and Ederson.

Teams

CITY: Trafford, Lewis, Stones, Dias (C), Ait-Nouri, Nico, Reijnders, Bobb, Cherki, Marmoush, Haaland

Subs: Ederson, Ake, Doku, Rodri, Bernardo, Nunes, O'Reilly, Khusanov, Foden

SPURS:  Vicario, Porro, Romero (C), Van de Ven, Spence, Palhinha, Sarr, Bentancur, Kudus, Johnson, Richarlison

Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Tel, Gray, Bergvall, Vuskovic, Solanke, Odobert, Davies

POSSIBLE TACTICS

We know that Ruben Dias and John Stones will partner in central defence, with Rico Lewis and Ait-Nouri our attacking full-backs.

Nico retains his holding midfield role, with Reijnders and Cherki taking on the attacking mantle from the centre.

Marmoush and Bobb will flank Erling Haaland in what looks like a very attacking formation.

New signings set to dazzle?

It's fair to say the excitement has been building among City fans since the summer.

The arrivals of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and James Trafford have added flair and energy to the squad which was evident in abundance against Wolves last weekend.

Now that quartet will make their home debuts against Spurs - and they will want to impress.

All four made excellent starts at Molineux with their movement, drive and skills bringing a new dimension to this City team.

The Etihad is their new home - and our supporters can't wait to see what they can do.

Blues look for payback?

Last season's 4-0 humbling at home to Spurs was one of our heaviest home losses at the Etihad.

Two James Maddison goals inside the first 20 minutes gave the visitors a firm grip on the game, with Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson adding further goals after the break.

It was a chastening experience against a side who always seem to turn up at the Etihad.

There is no Maddison this afternoon and no Dejan Kulusevski - a player who always seem to score at the Etihad.

Thomas Frank also masterminded Brentford's double over the Blues in Treble season - the only side to do so, so this game will be anything but straightforward!

Stats, facts & milestones

City have won just four of their last 12 Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur (D2 L6), though beat them 1-0 in their last meeting in February. They last secured consecutive league wins against Spurs between December 2017 and April 2019 (4).

Spurs have won two of their last four Premier League games at the Etihad (D1 L1), more than they did in their previous 11 visits combined (D2 L8). Following their 4-0 victory last season, they’re looking for consecutive wins away at City for the first time since May 2010.

The last four Premier League meetings between City and Tottenham at the Etihad have produced 21 goals (9 for City, 12 for Spurs), with the away side netting at least twice in all four. The last side to score 2+ goals in five consecutive top-flight away games against Man City were Sunderland between 1980 and 2000.

Since the start of April, City have picked up more points than any other Premier League side (26), and are the only ever-present side to remain unbeaten in that time (W8 D2). They also have the most clean sheets (7) and have faced the fewest shots per game of any side in the division since April (7.6).

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to win their first two Premier League games in a season for the first time since 2021-22, which was also the last time a manager won his first two league games with Spurs (Nuno Espirito Santo then). They are winless in their last 11 games against non-newly promoted sides, however (D2 L9), since a 1-0 win over Man Utd in February.

In all competitions, Pep Guardiola has lost nine games against Tottenham Hotspur in his managerial career, only losing more against Liverpool (10). Spurs are also one of three teams he’s faced 10 or more times and won fewer than half of his games against (11/23, 48%), along with Liverpool (6/24, 25%) and Real Madrid (13/27, 48%).

Spurs’ Thomas Frank led Brentford to a 2-1 victory at the Etihad when he was Bees boss in November 2022. Only two managers have beaten Pep Guardiola away in the league with two clubs – José Mourinho (Real Madrid in 2012, Man Utd in 2018) and Antonio Conte (Chelsea in 2016, Spurs in 2022).

Erling Haaland has scored 48 goals in 48 home Premier League appearances for City. The only player to hit 50 Premier League home goals in fewer than 50 appearances is Alan Shearer, who scored his 50th home goal in his 47th game.

Tijjani Reijnders both scored and assisted in Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Wolves on his Premier League debut – no player has ever achieved this in their first two City appearances in the competition, while Reijnders or teammate Rayan Cherki could be the first player since Emmanuel Adebayor in August 2009 to score in their first two Premier League games for the club.

Richarlison netted a brace in Spurs’ 3-0 win over Burnley on MD1, already hitting 50% of his total for the entirety of the 2024-25 Premier League season (4 in 15 games). The Brazilian has the best minutes per goal ratio of any player who has featured across the last two Premier League seasons (goal every 95 mins), also enjoying a 27.3% conversion rate.