Tottenham v Man City injury & team news - eight missing but Stones & Maddison set to return

Both Ange Postecoglou and Pep Guardiola will welcome back England internationals for Friday’s FA Cup clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

The pair meet in the fourth round with Guardiola hoping to end his hoodoo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having lost on all five previous visits. But City will have to manage without Erling Haaland on Friday, with the Norwegian still ruled out due to his ongoing foot injury.

“He is on the verge of coming back,” Guardiola said in his pre-press conference. “Tomorrow he is not ready but he is close. Training camp [in Abu Dhabi] was good, he trained some sessions, the last few days here he trained, but it is not perfect and we will wait a little bit more.”

The City boss also said Manuel Akanji has not recovered from an injury he picked up in the last FA Cup encounter - the 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town - but said John Stones is available for the first time in nearly a month.

As for Spurs, James Maddison is back after a long-term ankle injury that kept him out of the team since early November. "Everyone’s ok from the last game," Postecoglou said in Thursday’s press conference. "Deki [Dejan Kulusevski] has recovered from illness. 

“The boys had four days off last week, which was good. Madders [Maddison] has been training with us, and has had a full training week. He’s in a good place. Ben [Davies] and Dane Scarlett have just started with the group."

The ex-Celtic boss went on to confirm Giovanni Lo Celso, Manor Solomon and Alejo Veliz are still ruled out through injury, while Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma and Heung-Min Son won’t be available given their international commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations and Asia Cup.

Ruled out: Sarr, Bissouma, Lo Celso, Solomon, Son, Veliz (Tottenham); Akanji, Haaland (City).