Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League lunchtime showdown on Saturday.Both sides made brilliant starts to the new campaign, securing emphatic opening-day wins last weekend. Another victory today will put either in a strong position to start the campaign positively.Ahead of their clash at the Etihad, we’ve picked our Manchester City and Tottenham Combined XI.Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur – Combined XIGoalkeeper: James Trafford – Manchester CityLast season’s PFA Championship Players’ Player of the Year, after a record-breaking season at Burnley, Trafford has returned to Manchester City this summer.Still just 22, the 6ft 6in shot-stopper has huge potential and produced an encouraging debut at Wolves last weekend.Right-back: Pedro Porro – Tottenham HotspurA former product of the Manchester City academy, Pedro Porro has flourished since leaving Manchester. Since joining Spurs in 2023, the Spaniard has become one of the Premier League’s most effective attacking outlets. City, in contrast, lack an established senior right-back.Pedro Porro made a total of 14 penalty area entries against Burnley on Saturday, the most of any player on opening weekend of the Premier League. pic.twitter.com/VDc58N0YQS— WhoScored (@WhoScored) August 21, 2025Centre-back: Cristian Romero – Tottenham HotspurTottenham have tied down Cristian Romero to a new contract in a huge boost. Atletico Madrid had targeted the World Cup winner, who has been a pivotal part of Argentina’s dominance on the international stage.At his best, he’s one of the league’s leading defenders. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Centre-back: Micky van de Ven – Tottenham HotspurWe’ve opted for an all-Spurs centre-back pairing, with Van de Ven and Romero a brilliantly complementary pair. The Dutchman adds blistering recovery pace and confident carry in possession to Romero’s robust approach and penetrative passing. Keeping that duo fit this season will be essential for Thomas Frank.Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven started just 11 games together in the Premier League last season Meanwhile in the Europa League, they played every minute for Spurs from the quarter-final to the final, conceding just 2 goals in those 5 games pic.twitter.com/04ec2MhHcC— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 12, 2025Left-back: Josko Gvardiol – Manchester CityA bright light in a relatively down season for Manchester City last term. Gvardiol was named the club’s Player of the Season after being a rare consistent presence in an up-and-down season.The bullish defender’s long-term future is perhaps centrally, but he’s been impressive at full-back with charges forward and spectacular goals.Midfield: Rodri – Manchester CityIf Pep Guardiola believes Rodri is the best player in the world, who are we to disagree? The Spaniard’s return from a long-term injury might be bigger than any signing made by Premier League teams this season.Midfield: Bernardo Silva – Manchester CityBernardo Silva has entered his ninth season at Manchester City, and there’s good reason he remains a Pep Guardiola favourite. Silva is silky in possession and never stops running, with the Portugal international appointed captain this season.Midfield: Tijjani Reijnders – Manchester CityWhat a player, what a debut! Reijnders made a huge impression on his first appearance for Manchester City last weekend, scoring a debut goal and being hugely involved in two more at Wolves. Last season’s Serie A Midfielder of the Year already looks like one of the best signings of the summer window.A Premier League debut to remember for Tijjani Reijnders pic.twitter.com/5cE2T9NkUJ— Premier League (@premierleague) August 16, 2025Right-wing: Phil Foden – Manchester CityPhil Foden endured a down season last term by his sky-high standards. But even a forgettable campaign brought 13 goals and some brilliant moments.City will hope to coax the very best back from Foden this season, with the 25-year-old having been untouchable in 2023/24.Left-wing: Rayan Cherki – Manchester CityAnother new arrival at the Etihad, Rayan Cherki, came off the bench to mark his debut with a goal at Wolves.The Frenchman is a wonderful talent, full of flair and unpredictability. He’ll have defenders second-guessing all season. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Forward: Erling Haaland – Manchester CityA goalscoring phenomenon. Haaland started the season as he usually does, with two goals on the opening weekend.It’s now 21 goals in just 12 appearances in the Premier League in August, as the Norwegian started with a bang.He’s targeting a fourth consecutive campaign with 20+ goals in the Premier League and third Golden Boot this season. It would be a brave person to bet against him.FOOTBALL IS BACK pic.twitter.com/uBb3MbZmZt— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) August 16, 2025Read – Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur – Match preview and team newsSee more – Premier League: Eight talking points ahead of the weekendFollow The Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur – Combined XI first appeared on The Football Faithful.