Arguably the pick of the Premier League action this weekend will take place in London as Tottenham Hotspur prepare to welcome Manchester City.
Spurs have only won one of their last five league matches, although they are still in touching distance of the top four, sitting six points off Chelsea in the table.
Jose Mourinho's side were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton at St Mary's in the FA Cup last weekend, meaning that they face a home game against the Saints on Wednesday night for a spot in the fifth round of the competition.
City, meanwhile, booked their spot in the final of the EFL Cup despite losing 1-0 to Manchester United in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola's side also beat Fulham 4-0 in the FA Cup last weekend, which followed a 1-0 success at Sheffield United in the Premier League.
The reigning champions are now 19 points off leaders Liverpool, though, and it appears that second will be the best that they can hope for this season.
Despite the fact that both clubs have had their problems this term, some of the Premier League's top players will still be on display this weekend. With that in mind, Sports Mole picks a combined XI from both squads, using only players available for the contest.
The fact that Tottenham's Hugo Lloris has recently returned from an elbow injury makes the goalkeeping spot slightly harder to pick that it might have been, but there is no question that Ederson deserves the spot between the sticks. The 26-year-old has been a revelation since joining City and has kept 11 clean sheets already this season.
A back three has been selected in this particular team, and two of the members Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho had been fitness doubts ahead of the contest. Indeed, Laporte has been struggling with fatigue after only recently returning from a long-term knee injury, while Fernandinho has also been absent from City's last two. Guardiola said that both are likely to be involved at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, though, and it is not very difficult to pick them in this XI. Fernandinho has been terrific since dropping into defence, while aside from Virgil van Dijk, there is not a finer centre-back in the Premier League than Laporte.
The other spot goes to Toby Alderweireld, who beats off competition from Tottenham teammates Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen. The Belgium international has not always been at his best this season, although he deserves a spot in the side with the likes of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi also enduring tough campaigns for the reigning champions.
Picking a midfield without a Tottenham player was not actually too difficult as no individual has stuck out for the capital side this season. Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez have been selected in the wide areas, and the latter deserves a special mention having scored nine times and registered 13 assists in all competitions this season. Bernardo's form has dipped a touch in recent weeks, although he is still one of the most gifted players in the league.
David Silva will leave the Etihad Stadium this summer but will be remembered as one of the Premier League's best players. The Spaniard has been an incredible servant to the Citizens over the last 10 years and deserves his spot in the middle of the park. The final midfield spot goes to Kevin De Bruyne, who sails into the XI. The 28-year-old has 18 assists in 30 appearances this season and has put in a string of star performances throughout the campaign.
Harry Kane's absence means that there is only one Tottenham player in the front three with Son Heung-min selected. The 27-year-old has contributed 12 goals and nine assists in 29 appearances this term and more than deserves a spot on the left of a three-pronged attack.
The other two positions are both taken by City players with Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling selected. The former has again been in terrific form this season with 21 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions, while the latter, who will be vitally important for England at this summer's European Championships, has managed 20 goals in 34 outings during the 2019-20 campaign.
Matt Law
