Manchester City know anything less than three points against Tottenham will further hand the initiative to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
City's derby defeat to Manchester United this weekend coupled with Arsenal's north London derby success over Tottenham sent the Gunners eight points clear as the Blues reach the halfway point of the season on Thursday. Both City and Spurs come into the game having lost against their local rivals, and both need a victory to kick-start their campaigns.
Pep Guardiola could welcome back John Stones after he missed the last two games with fitness issues, while Ruben Dias is also back in training following a hamstring problem that has ruled him out since the World Cup. Kevin De Bruyne missed Tuesday's training session but Guardiola confirmed the Belgian had a personal issue and is available to face Spurs.
