Everything on... Manchester City

Manchester City showed their class in the two matches against us last season as they won at home and away on their way to being crowned champions in the Premier League.

Ilkay Gundogan headed them in front after a quarter-of-an-hour at the Etihad Stadium but we remained in contention until the final 20 minutes, when Pep Guardiola’s side struck three times before Christian Eriksen’s consolation in a 4-1 victory for the men in blue.

Our Danish playmaker also scored in the return to bring us back into the game at 2-1 but Raheem Sterling sealed a 3-1 win for his side as the visitors moved closer to their third league title in seven years.

Here’s everything you need to know about our opponents on Monday night...

Team news

Kyle Walker should be fit to face us after missing last weekend’s game against Burnley with a groin injury before returning as a substitute in the 3-0 Champions League win at Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.

Gundogan is unlikely to feature due to a hamstring problem but Danilo could be fit. He has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury in Brazil’s recent friendly against Argentina.

Fabian Delph has recovered from a minor complaint but Claudio Bravo and Eliaquim Mangala remain unavailable with longer-term injuries.

One to watch

Picking out one player from City’s glittering array of talent is a tough task but Raheem Sterling should certainly be afforded attention after scoring three goals against us last season.

The 23-year-old scored 23 times in all competitions last year and, with four goals and two assists in seven league games this time around, is proving the perfect foil for the prolific Sergio Aguero. He transferred that form to the international stage with a first-half double in England’s recent 3-2 win in Spain.

Sterling burst onto the scene at Liverpool in the 2012/13 campaign and was a key part of an attacking triumvirate, with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, that came close to winning the Premier League title the following season. He joined City in summer 2015 and has since made 151 appearances for the current champions.

Last five meetings

14 April, 2018 – Spurs 1-3 Manchester City – Premier League
16 December, 2017 – Manchester City 4-1 Spurs – Premier League
21 January, 2017 – Manchester City 2-2 Spurs – Premier League
2 October, 2016 – Spurs 2-0 Manchester City – Premier League
14 February, 2016 – Manchester City 1-2 Spurs – Premier League

Previous clash

Manchester City moved to within three points of the title with a 3-1 victory against us at Wembley Stadium in April.

We paid the price for a slow start with Gabriel Jesus racing through to score and Gundogan converting a penalty inside 25 minutes but Eriksen prodded us back into the game before the interval.

A concerted spell of pressure followed as we sought an equaliser but Sterling turned in from close range in the 72nd minute to seal the points.

Manchester City’s form

City have never won back-to-back Premier League crowns but are well-placed to achieve that feat after a scintillating start to the campaign that has seen them go unbeaten in their opening nine league games.

Seven of those matches have ended in victories with 23 goals scored and just three conceded.

The one blemish came in their opening Champions League game, where Lyon claimed a shock 2-1 win in Manchester, but they responded to that by winning at Hoffenheim and then registering a 3-0 victory away to Shakhtar in midweek.

Magic moment

We produced a dazzling three-goal blitz in the space of seven minutes to turn defeat into victory when we met Manchester City on 21 April, 2013.

City were still in the title race as they came to White Hart Lane and took the lead inside five minutes through Samir Nasri. That goal looked likely to be enough to take the points until our dramatic turnaround.

Clint Dempsey turned in Gareth Bale’s 75th-minute cross to level and we went ahead through a trademark thunderbolt from Jermain Defoe. City were stunned and the game was put to bed when Tom Huddlestone released Bale, who clipped a sublime finish over Joe Hart to cap a sensational comeback.

Played for both

We plucked Kyle Walker from boyhood club Sheffield United in summer 2009 and he would spend the next eight years blossoming at White Hart Lane.

Walker impressed during loan spells at his former club, QPR and Aston Villa before becoming our first-choice right-back in the 2011/12 campaign. His rise was stellar – he scooped the PFA Young Player of the Year award and was named in the PFA Team of the Year that season.

He made 229 appearances for us in total and was again named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2016/17 season before joining City. He won the Premier League title and EFL Cup last season and currently has 43 caps for England.

What they’re saying

City boss Pep Guardiola is wary of our ability to switch formations quickly during games as he prepares to bring his side to Wembley on Monday night.

“They play with five at back, sometimes diamond, sometimes 4-2-3-1. They can use it and change again,” he said.

“When you know a team does the same thing, it’s easier to control it. They sometimes play Son with Dele Alli, they can change it. You have to be prepared for that. Tactically they are very well prepared.

“When we see their game at Inter in the Champions League, they were not worse than (the) opponent. I say they were better. But the competition is special. The numbers are the numbers.

“It’s one of the teams I like the most to watch, I learn when I see them. They have a young team, good keeper, striker, everything to be there (challenging at the top of the table).”