Arsenal legend Paul Merson has backed Manchester City to hammer injury-plagued Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs made a stunning start to the season as they sat at the top of the Premier League. New head coach Ange Postecoglou was lauded for successfully overhauling their style of play but their form has declined in recent weeks.

Tottenham’s run of three league losses in a row has seen them slip down to fifth in the Premier League table. It does not get any easier for Spurs this weekend as they travel to face Pep Guardiola’s Man City.

The London outfit have admittedly been a bogey team for City of late as the Treble winners have only won three of their past nine games against their Premier League rivals.

Postecoglou is dealing with a major injury crisis as the Spurs head coach is without James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Ivan Perisic and Manor Soloman.

Merson has backed City to win 4-0 on Sunday as Postecoglou “sticking to his principles is going to cost him and side dearly”.

“With the number of injuries Tottenham have got, there’s no way they’re beating City. I’d be worried going into this game if I were a Spurs fan. They might cause City a few problems on the break but if they leave themselves open like they did last weekend, they will be in trouble,” Merson told Sportskeeda.

“I think if Tottenham were up to full strength, this would be game on. Spurs’ problem is that most of their sidelined stars are starters. That’s very unfortunate. I think Ange Postecoglou is going to stick to his principles and that’s going to cost him and his side dearly against City.”

“Spurs have a great record against Pep Guardiola’s City. But with injuries for Spurs going to the Etihad, the way Ange Postecoglou plays, I think they’ll be aggressive, I think they’ll be on the front foot, I think they’ll play high,” Savage said.

“I think he won’t change his philosophy and I think that will play right into City’s hands.

“With the injuries to Spurs, I’m gonna go with a 4-0 City win believe it or not.

“I think Spurs have lost their last three. I think it will be four in a row because I just think that they will be brave.

“The style of football Spurs play is great on the eye. But inevitably, if they play like that against City, I just think it could be a heavy scoreline.”