Harry Kane continues his quest for a third successive Golden Boot when he faces Manchester City on Saturday.
However, Pep Guardiola's side arrive at Wembley Stadium with not only the best attack in the Premier League this season, but also the fewest goals conceded. Nicolas Otamendi has been a key part of that defensive record, writes skysports.com's Will Rickson.
Kane v Otamendi
This is set to be the fifth PL meeting between Kane and Otamendi.
Tottenham Hotspur have won two of those, drawing once and losing once. Kane has scored two goals, albeit one being a penalty.
The Spurs striker trails Mohamed Salah in the race for the Golden Boot, with 25 goals compared with the Liverpool forward’s 29.
Yet he has hardly been shot-shy. Indeed, Kane has had the most shots in the league this season, with 164, and the most on target, with 67.
Only twice in the last 10 campaigns have any players exceeded Kane’s average this season of 5.79 shots per 90 minutes.
Most shots/90 mins - last 10 seasons
| Season | Player | Shots/90 |
|---|---|---|
| 2009/10 | Wayne Rooney | 6.02 |
| 2008/09 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 5.93 |
| 2017/18 | Harry Kane | 5.79 |
| 2009/10 | Didier Drogba | 5.78 |
| 2012/13 | Luis Suarez | 5.70 |
Yet Kane was restricted to only three attempts, with one on target, when Spurs last faced Man City, losing 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium in December.
Otamendi will hope to keep Kane similarly quiet on Saturday, allowing him to focus on his own specialty: contributing to Man City’s build-up play with his passes out of defence.
His 86 successful passes per 90 minutes is the highest average of any player in the last 10 PL seasons.
Looking at the leading player in each of those campaigns, it is notable that Otamendi is the only defender. The previous leaders were all midfield playmakers.
Most successful passes per 90 mins
| Season | Club | Player | Successful passes/90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | MCI | Nicolas Otamendi | 86 |
| 2016/17 | CHE | Cesc Fabregas | 76 |
| 2015/16 | ARS | Santi Cazorla | 77 |
| 2014/15 | MCI | Yaya Toure | 82 |
| 2013/14 | ARS | Mikel Arteta | 74 |
| 2012/13 | ARS | Mikel Arteta | 76 |
| 2011/12 | MUN | Paul Scholes | 81 |
| 2010/11 | MUN | Paul Scholes | 72 |
| 2009/10 | MUN | Paul Scholes | 67 |
| 2008/09 | LIV | Xabi Alonso | 74 |
But the Man City centre-back’s primary focus on Saturday will be dealing with the threat of Kane, and helping the leaders edge closer to their third PL title.
