Christian Eriksen v David Silva headlines our key battles as Tottenham face Man City

Sooraj Kamath - Writer 08:01 28/10/2018
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  • Tottenham host Manchester City in a crucial top five match-up on Monday night with just two points separating the sides.

    Spurs recovered after successive defeats at the hands of Watford and Liverpool to bag all the 12 points from their next four fixtures and will look to carry on with their impressive run.

    Manchester City are unbeaten in the league but shared spoils to two occasions. The Citizens drew 1-1 with Wolves and played out a goalless stalemate against Liverpool.

    Here, we take a look at some key battles that will shape the game.

    Christian Eriksen vs David Silva

    Manchester City's David Silva

    Manchester City’s David Silva

    In a confrontation between two of Premier League’s elite playmakers, City’s David Silva will be pitted against Christian Eriksen. Both players are major sources of creativity for their respective teams and have been in solid form so far this term, with the statistics leaning towards the Spaniard marginally.

    Silva has two goals and two assists to his name and has stepped up well.The 32-year-old boasts a superior pass percentage and also delivers about 3.7 key-passes every game, almost twice as much as Eriksen’s figures of 1.9 key-passes each game. El Mago has been remarkably better in terms of his dribbles, with 1.6 dribbles every game compared to Eriksen’s 0.1.

    Eriksen has provided his teammates with the same number of opportunities as the Spaniard but hasn’t been able to find the net in the Premier League so far this campaign. The 26-year-old is burdened with additional defensive duties, and his superior tackle-rate of 1.1 tackles each game compared to Silva’s 0.7 confirming this.

    Harry Kane vs Sergio Aguero

    Target man: Harry Kane.

    Target man: Harry Kane.

    Two lethal number nines face off in a battle that could potentially decide the outcome of this contest.

    Aguero has amassed six goals in nine games and provided two assists this season, enjoying a higher passing accuracy with 87.4 per cent in comparison to Kane’s 74.4 per cent.

    Although both the players can brag about laudable numbers when key-passes are concerned, the Argentine has been more decisive with his passes in the final third with his 1.6 key-passes per game getting the better of Kane (1.2).

    The World Cup Golden Boot winner has been a significant contributor to his team’s goal tally with his five strikes accounting for 31 per cent of the 16 goals Spurs have scored this term.

    The England star has managed to score those five goals with an xG (Expected Goals) of about 0.67 per game whereas Aguero’s tally of six goals comes from an xG of 0.84 per match. This indicates that Kane has been at the end of less clear-cut chances compared to his Argentinian counterpart and has been equally effective in front of goal despite what the other statistics suggest.

    Toby Alderweirald vs Aymeric Laporte

    Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte

    Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte

    The Frenchman finally established himself as an undisputed starter in Pep Guardiola’s team after a string of majestic performances, while Alderweireld has always been the crux of Spurs’ defence. Both players will need to be at their immaculate best on Monday as they look to shut out the best forwards in the Premier League at either ends.

    Manchester City have kept more cleansheets (six) than Spurs (three) in the league, which does make Laporte the player you’d want in your Fantasy Premier League (FPL) team. The Frenchman has been dribbled past less frequently (0.4 times per game) than Alderweireld (0.5 times per game).

    The Belgian at the other end has superior statistics when tackles and interceptions are considered. With 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, Alderweireld has faced greater threat in defence compared to Laporte who has had to put in just 0.9 tackles and 1.2 interceptions every game.

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