In the previous EFL Cup campaign, both clubs failed to reach this stage, Tottenham Hotspur were eliminated in the first round and Manchester City in the second. Who will advance to the quarter-finals this time?
It's hard to believe that it will be Tottenham Hotspur. The team suffered a narrow defeat to Crystal Palace (0:1). The scoreline may be small, but they truly were not better than Crystal Palace: 0.74 vs 0.78 in xG, and 11(3) vs 14(6) in shots. At best, a draw was on the cards for them. Before that, they struggled to secure a win over AZ Alkmaar, despite having 16 shots, five on target. The opponents' attacking potential didn't justify the xG (1.87 vs 0.41), although the score might.
Manchester City have also been content with narrow victories. Their last two were against clear Premier League outsiders: Wolverhampton (2:1) and Southampton (1:0). The scores were not huge, but they dominated the chances. Both opponents were tested 22 times (shots), with 7-8 shots on target respectively—the difference being Southampton's Aaron Ramsdale performing slightly better. However, their Champions League fixture against Sparta Prague between these matches saw them demolish their opponents 5:0 with the same 22 shots. It depends on how things unfold.
Despite Manchester City's current scoring challenges, they still seem stronger. They might not secure a win in regular time, but a draw is well within their grasp.
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Ange Postecoglou
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coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
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In squad
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|||
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Fraser Forster
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
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Brandon Austin
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
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Guglielmo Vicario
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gk. | 0 | 0 |
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Ben Davies
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
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Djed Spence
|
df. | 1 | 1 |
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Iyenoma Destiny Udogie
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
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Radu Matei Drăgușin
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
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Cristian Gabriel Romero
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Micky van de Ven
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Pedro Porro
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Sergio Reguilón
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Archie James Francis Gray
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
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James Maddison
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Lucas Erik Holger Bergvall
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Pape Matar Sarr
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Rodrigo Bentancur
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Yves Bissouma
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Brennan Price Johnson
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
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Dejan Kulusevski
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
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Dominic Solanke
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fw. | 1 | 0 |
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Son Heung-min
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fw. | 1 | 0 |
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Timo Werner
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fw. | 1 | 0 |
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Wilson Odobert
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fw. | 1 | 0 |
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Mikey Steven Danny Moore
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fw. | 0 | 0 |
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Richarlison
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
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Josep Guardiola
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coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
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Stefan Ortega Moreno
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
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Ederson
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
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Scott Carson
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
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John Stones
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
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Joško Gvardiol
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
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Kaden Braithwaite
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df. | 1 | 0 |
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Kyle Walker
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df. | 1 | 0 |
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Rico Henry Mark Lewis
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
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Manuel Akanji
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Nathan Aké
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
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Rúben Dias
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df. | 0 | 0 |
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Jack Grealish
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Jacob Anthony Wright
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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James John McAtee
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Matheus Nunes
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mf. | 1 | 1 |
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Nico O'Reilly
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Phil Foden
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mf. | 1 | 0 |
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Bernardo Silva
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mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Kevin De Bruyne
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mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Mateo Kovačić
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mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Oscar Bobb
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mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Rodrigo Hernández
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mf. | 0 | 0 |
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İlkay Gündoğan
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mf. | 0 | 0 |
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Jérémy Doku
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fw. | 1 | 1 |
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Sávio Moreira de Oliveira
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
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Erling Braut Håland
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
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