Premier League GW12 Preview: Spurs to Beat City Again?

Welcome back to the weekly Premier League Preview. Thankfully, we've made it through the last international break of 2024 with the next one not until March 2025 - thank the lord for that! Let's focus our attention back on the Premier League for this weekend's upcoming fixtures.

The Meaty One:

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur 17:30 KO, 23/11

In what has been a torrid time for City of lot, losing 4 games on the bounce in all competitions, The Cityzens welcome a hot and cold Spurs side to the Etihad.

Current manager Pep Guardiola has signed a contract extension, which will last until 2026, ending the speculations of whether he would stay at City for the foreseeable future. The contract extension seems very bizarre timing. In a time where City are in probably the worst form they've ever been in under Guardiola and the 115 charges still looming, Guardiola stating he is staying has baffled me. We shall see whether this gives City a much needed boost come Saturday.

Spurs' manager, on the other hand, is rumoured to have fallen out with a handful of Spurs players. Both managers are currently in a bit of a pickle with Postecoglou seemingly becoming frustratd with his sides inconsistent performances. Losing to Palace and Ipswich yet beating Aston Villa and West Ham comfortably is odd. The Lilywhites are lacking consistency, something which stems from players simply not doing their jobs on the pitch and Ange's occasional stubbornness when it comes to tactics.

This match will be very hard to predict due to both of the club's current climates. Yet, this should be an exciting game of football as both sides sit in the top 2 for xG. This should bode well for lots of goals. City will be eager to close the 5-point gap on Liverpool whilst Spurs need to start picking up points when surprising high-flyers Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Fulham are making their claims for the top 4.

Jack's Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Spurs

The Goals Fest:

Bournemouth vs Brighton 15:00 KO, 23/11

Two sides in decent form come face-to-face this weekend in the South Coast Derby. With both teams beating the Champions City in consecutive weeks, my expectations are high for an intriguing tactical and physical battle between two up and coming sides.

Andoni Iraola is one of my favourite managers at the moment. Inheriting a Bournemouth side that were used to Gary O'Neill's counterattacking style of play, converting them to high intensity pressers is no easy feat. But the Spaniard has got a tune out of The Cherries. Despite their league position, Bournemouth have faced some tough opponents in their first 12 games but have picked up strong wins against Arsenal and Manchester City, demonstrating their potential to move up the table.

Similarly, Fabian Hürzeler has done wonders at Brighton. The Seagulls have become. a solid and flexible team, changing their approaches depending on game states. This was noticeable in last game's huge result, turning around a 1-0 deficit being up against the wall to win 2-1 against Manchester City. The character that Hürzeler's side is displaying is superb, and will certainly help them going into the compact Christmas period. Furthermore, João Pedro's return to the team is a huge boost, scoring Brighton's equaliser.

Two young and exciting managers will be sizing each other up on the weekend and I'm extremely interested to see which way it will go. Defensively, Bournemouth have been better at home than away, but I fully expect both sides to be pressing each other to turn over the ball as fast as possible. This could lead to both sides cancelling each other out. Conversely, this might just lead to lots of goals, which would please the neutral.

Jack's Prediction: Bournemouth 2-2 Brighton

The Six-Pointer:

Leicester vs Chelsea 12:30 KO, 23/11

Picking the Six-pointer was quite difficult, but I opted to highlight Leicester due to their perilous league position in 15th.

The Foxes have done relatively quite well given their inital chances of survival at the start of the season. However, with only 2 wins to their name they need to start picking up points. Looking at the teams below them, Everton, Ipswich and Crystal Palace are all within touching distance of Leicester. If all of these teams win this weekend and Leicester don't, The Foxes would fall into the relegation zone!

Chelsea, on the other hand, now face a much easier fixture run following successive matches against some of the top teams from last season. Chelsea remain in a strong position despite successive draws, only losing twice so far in this campaign. Maresca will be happy with how his side is performing, although will be working on their record against the big hitters.

Whilst Leicester have the home backing, I can't look past a clear Chelsea victory. Indeed, Leicester have a habit of clawing points back from losing positions but, if Chelsea take the lead early on, they'll likely look to drive home the advantage and make The Foxes whimper.

Jack's Prediction: Leicester 0-3 Chelsea