Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images

Pep Guardiola refuses to wade into Tottenham ‘bogey’ talk in first clash of the post Son era

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Ahmad Sarmad Ansari | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 10:23 AM ET

Pep Guardiola refuses to call Tottenham Hotspur a bogey team for Manchester City

After quite a good start to their Premier League 2025-26 campaign with a 3-0 win over Burnley , Tottenham Hotspur are now set to face one of the biggest teams in the competition, i.e., Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

This match between two of the top six rivals is expected to be a blockbuster affair for several reas ons. For instance, this will be the first time Thomas Frank will be leading his Tottenham side against the Citizens, and a match of this stature would surely be a test of the Danish coach’s tactical skills.

Despite being one of the most powerful sides in the Premier League for almost a decade now, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City has a comparatively poorer record against Spurs.

As per a report from CaughtOffside, this matter was also raised as the Spanish tactician addressed a presser ahead of this game. However, the former Barcelona boss was confused when he was asked whether Tottenham was City’s ‘bogey’ team, as he did not know the meaning of the word ‘bogey’.

Once the meaning of the word was relayed to him, he admitted that he did not know why his team struggled against the Lilywhites, and simply said that Spurs was a good team. He then went on to recognize some of their former good players, which could likely have been a reference to the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.

Both sides come into this game in good form

The match between the two sides is scheduled for an early kick-off today, on Saturday. Tottenham and City have faced one another a total of 174 times in all competitions, with the Citizens having 69 wins, Spurs having 68 wins, and 37 of these matches ending up in draws.

Spurs fans will be hoping that their team could get another win in this match today to equalize the winning record between the two sides. Both the teams will be coming into this match with good form, as Spurs won their first Premier League game of the season against Burnley 3-0, while Guardiola’s side won 4-0 against Wolves on matchday 1.

Son Heung-min particularly enjoyed playing against Manchester City and has on several occassions proven to be their undoing. It remains to be seen who will take over that mantle from the South Korean this season.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: