Manchester City will try to vault above Arsenal and into the Premier League lead on Tuesday when they visit a Tottenham Hotspur side that has recently caused them problems.
City enter the game one point behind Arsenal but with two games remaining to Arsenal’s one, meaning they control their destiny in their aim for a record fourth consecutive league title.
A loss would see City remain behind on points entering the final day. A draw would give Arsenal the edge only on their goal differential, which is three better than City’s.
Spurs have proved particular difficulty for City (26-3-7, 85 points) in their previous three title-winning campaigns, earning four victories and a draw over the teams’ last seven league meetings.
That includes three losses in three trips to Tottenham for Pep Guardiola’s side. And Guardiola believes Ange Postecoglou’s fifth-place group might be the best of those Spurs teams.
“They are so aggressive, it doesn’t matter what’s happening. They were losing 4-0 in Anfield and they continued, continued, continued to do the game plan and stick to what they believe,” Guardiola said. “The difficulty is there. But at the same time we know what we are playing for. To give us a chance at home (depends) on us. That’s our mindset.”
City are in their best form of the season, having won seven consecutive league matches while outsourcing opponents 28-5 in those games. And Erling Haaland has scored seven of his league-leading 25 goals over that stretch.
They also come into a strange home environment for Spurs (19-11-6, 63 points). Some Tottenham fans might wish to see their team lose to sabotage rival Arsenal’s title hopes.
“To me, I don’t understand it, I never will,” Postecoglou said of that sentiment. “I understand rivalry. I was part of one of the biggest ones in the world in the last couple of years with Celtic and Rangers and I understand the rivalry but I’ve never and will never understand if someone wants their own team to lose. That’s not what sport is about. It’s not what I love about the game.”
Spurs have limped toward the finish line, losing four in a row before last weekend’s narrow 2-1 victory over Burnley.
Richarlison and Timo Werner are among the Tottenham attackers who aren’t expected to return from injury this season. And Heung-Min Son’s pace has slowed, with the South Korean scoring only two of this team-leading 17 goals in the last seven matches.
–Field Level Media