After last Saturday's miserable performance at home to league leaders Leicester City, Mauricio Pochettino's men have leapfrogged City in second place as they look to widen the margin between themselves and the sky Blues. With a heavily depleted side, we take a look at three key players who could all spell doom for the Citizens' backline on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs' talisman - Harry Kane
Tottenham's posterboy, Harry Kane will no doubt be looking to add to his ever-growing tally. Scoring 15 and assisting once in the league this season, the talismanic striker lies third in the top scorers' table - one behind Everton's Romelu Lukaku and three behind Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy. At his most effective, Kane excels in hold-up play as well as taking on the role of target man, something that may worry the City centre-backs after conceeding two headed goals from set-pieces on Saturday. His calmness in possession too is another trait of his that has certainly been key to his excellent form and rapid progression in not only the Spurs side, but the England setup too. A forward who can bring the ball down and survey his surroundings and make a decision accordingly is a rarity in strikers these days.
Their wonderkid - Dele Alli
Dele Alli has had the perfect start to his Tottenham career since making the move from Milton Keynes Dons last summer for a trifiling £5million pounds, the 19-year-old firmly cementing his place in the Spurs starting XI and the hearts of the faithful at White Hart Lane. With seven goals and five assists in the league this term, the talented young Englishman has certainly made his presence felt in the Spurs side. It hasn't gone un-noticed either, with some comparisons being drawn such as a 'new Steven Gerrard' - a player who can pass, dribble, shoot, tackle with the added bonus of flair and confidence clearly oozing through his play in midfield. With such versatility expect to see Alli at the core of Spurs' game, who'll look to marshall the midfield and no doubt impose himself on City's central defenders too. At such a tender age, one can only wonder how far he can go should he continue his scintilating form into this summer's European Championships and Spurs' potential Champions League campaign next year.
Silky, tricky playmaker - Christian Eriksen
Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen is the third player that should keep City on edge for most of the clash. Best suited in the number ten role, Eriksen has a wide range of passing as well as a lethal free-kick strike from close-range. With four goals and nine assists in the league this campaign, and whilst not his most prolific of seasons, Eriksen eclipses the City quartet of Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Jesús Navas when it comes to chances created and successful passes. While not the most physical on or off-the-ball he again makes up for this in his movement, a player who frequently enjoys to cut inside and test the goalkeeper from the edge of the area, the Dane can also test goalkeepers from range with no hesitation too.
City will hope the return of Vincent Kompany may give them a chance of nullifying the Spurs attack but even with the skipper's return, the sky Blues will certainly have their work cut out if they are to be successful in what promises to be an intriguing clash.