Pep Guardiola wants his Manchester City stars to forget about their record-breaking run of 15 straight victories when Tottenham visit the Etihad today, aiming to halt their charge towards the Premier League title.
City broke the English record for a top-flight club for consecutive wins by beating Swansea in midweek to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals and keep up their quest for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies. Guardiola’s men hold a five-point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand over second-placed Manchester United. They also face Spurs again in the League Cup final in April and resume their attempt to win the Champions League for the first time against Borussia Monchengladbach in the last 16 later this month. “The 15 games in a row winning doesn’t help us to start 2-0 up before the start of the game,” said Guardiola. “It helps us to be where we are but no more than that. For statistics it is nice, but statistics don’t help to win the next one.”
Tottenham were the last team to beat City, 22 games ago. That 2-0 victory in early November took Jose Mourinho’s men top of the table, but a run of four wins in 13 league games since has seen Spurs slide to eighth.
However, City have not beaten Tottenham in their last three meetings. “We lost that day because they were better in many aspects than us in that game. Spurs’ quality showed more often than our qualities,” added Guardiola. “You see the quality of the players they are and of course the manager. We have to do better to beat them.”
Once fierce rivals vying for superiority at Barcelona and Real Madrid, a 25th meeting between Guardiola and Mourinho comes at a time of contrasting fortunes for two of the world’s most-decorated coaches. Mourinho is under pressure after a run of four defeats in five games, while Guardiola is targeting an unprecedented quadruple of trophies. A big week for City could go a long way to securing a third league title in four years. They visit Everton for their game in hand on Wednesday and then travel to Arsenal next weekend.
Meanwhile, a fading Liverpool face a tricky trip to Leicester hoping to benefit from a rare week off. Jurgen Klopp admitted the height of Liverpool’s ambitions was now finishing in the top four to guarantee Champions League football next season. The Reds have won just three of their past 11 games, culminating in their collapse late on to City.
A stubborn injury crisis has left the defending champions looking physically and mentally drained, so a rare midweek off due to their early exit from the FA Cup may come as a blessing ahead of their visit to the King Power. 
Leicester sit third and are determined to avoid the mistakes they made last season, when they let a promising position slip in the final months of the campaign to finish fifth. The Foxes will be boosted by the return of talisman Jamie Vardy after the 34-year-old made his first start since groin surgery against Brighton in the FA Cup in midweek.
Liverpool centre-backs Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak, signed on transfer deadline day, could feature after Klopp opted not to throw them in at the deep end against City.
If Manchester United are to have any chance of keeping the title race alive, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men must snap out of a slump in which they have won just one of their past five games without the need for extra-time. 
United could not ask for more inviting opponents this weekend, with West Brom showing no signs of a revival since Sam Allardyce’s appointment in December to maintain their top-flight status. The Baggies have conceded 24 goals in their past six home games and are 12 points adrift of safety, in 19th spot.
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Today: Leicester v Liverpool (1230), Crystal Palace v Burnley (1500), Manchester City v Tottenham (1730), Brighton v Aston Villa (2000)
Tomorrow: Southampton v Wolves (1200), West Brom v Man United (1400), Arsenal v Leeds (1630), Everton v Fulham (1900)
Monday: West Ham v Sheffield 
United (1800), Chelsea v Newcastle (2000)