PREVIEW: City aim to close the gap to leaders Arsenal in Spurs visit | OneFootball

Man City aim to cut the gap to leaders Arsenal to four points in their visit to Tottenham, with Thomas Frank’s position as the host’s manager still tenuous.

Frank remains under growing pressure due to his side’s poor domestic form, with his side sat in a lowly 14th, despite a strong Champions League campaign so far.

Man City meanwhile, aren’t quite the force they were between 2018 and 2024 however they are still an immense outfit and sit second in the table, also having confirmed their spot in the last 16 of Europe’s top club competition.

Domestically, City go into the tie having only suffered one league defeat since mid November, while Spurs are yet to earn themselves a league win in 2026 with just one point from their last three outings.

Pep Guardiola was absent from media duties ahead of this one due to a “personal matter” so his assistant, Pep Lijnders was the man to step into the spotlight instead.

However, he did confirm that Guardiola will be on the touchline come Sunday afternoon.

Erling Haaland got himself back amongst the goals for the first time in three weeks against Galatasaray on Wednesday, who Lijnders lauded for his attitude.

He said: “His mentality sets him apart… for a striker it is always about the next ball and moment. We all know his quality, it is for him to keep believing that it comes.”

The Dutchman went on to speak on City’s current title race with Arsenal and Aston Villa, stressing the need for a solid run of form towards the business end of the season, having lost out to Liverpool by 13 points last year.

Lijnders said: “You have to put pressure and chase, they have to feel us. We have to make sure we go for the maximum points.

“We know we cannot lose many more games, try to push not only our points but the race.”

The Citizens remain in every competition this season, meaning they still have a possibility of completing a historic quadruple – something that has never been done before by an English side.

The Lilywhites, however, have exited the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, meaning that the Champions League is their last opportunity for a piece of silverware this season.

During his press conference, Thomas Frank confirmed that centre-forward Dominic Solanke is ready to start following his goalscoring cameo midweek.

However, he also reported that Dutch defender Micky Van De Ven has a “minor injury” and may not be fit for this pivotal clash.

The Dane revealed that his side had tried to sign Antoine Semenyo, from Bournemouth earlier this month for a fee of £65 million, before his move to Man City.

He said: “It was clear the club wanted to sign Semenyo, and it is a clear signal that the Lewis family are committed. That would have been a big signing financially.”

The Ghanaian winger has since scored in three of his first four appearances for City and will no doubt be hoping to add to that tally in North London this weekend.

The match will take place on Sunday, February 1st, and kick-off is scheduled for 4:30pm, with live coverage available on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.