City must win at Spurs to clinch title: Guardiola

Manchester City have lost all four Premier League matches they have played at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium but the defending champions must change that when they visit the North London side on Tuesday, manager Pep Guardiola said.

Second with 85 points from 36 matches, City are one point behind Arsenal who have played an extra game. If City beat Spurs, they will be able to seal the championship with a win at home to West Ham on the final day of the season on Sunday, when Arsenal host Everton, as the Citizens seek a record fourth title in a row.

"If we don't win we aren't going to win the Premier League, so this is what we have to do," Guardiola told reporters on Monday.

"It's always so demanding to play there, especially this season. They are so aggressive. At Anfield they are losing 4-0 but they continue to stick to what they believe."

City got their first win at Spurs' new stadium in an FA Cup tie in January, ending a five-match losing streak at the venue.

"We know what we are playing for," Guardiola said. "We know how difficult it is to be in this position again but we have something unique in front of us."

Guardiola's men are charging towards the finishing line, hitting 28 goals in their past seven Premier League matches and conceding just five times.

"Consistency has been there and that's the reality ... I push my players and they push me," the manager said.

"We are trying to do something special so we have to do that this time. This is the time to do it otherwise Arsenal will be champions."

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou admitted that such a fixture at the closing stages of the season sees his side up against an intense challenge.

"Any time you're going to play Man City, particularly at the end of a season when they always seem to be at their best, it's a hell of a challenge," Postecoglou told reporters on Monday.

"We've got an opportunity to measure ourselves against the best. A team that has consistently strived for honours. We want to emulate them one day and the best way to do that is to test yourself against them."

City have struggled at Spurs since they moved into their new stadium, losing five matches in the venue before getting their first win in January's FA Cup tie.

"My recent home record against them is one game, one loss. So I'm not going to take any confidence from that," Postecoglou said.

The manager dismissed the idea that most Spurs fans would want their club to lose in order to dent local rival Arsenal's title hopes.

"You think the majority of our fans are not going to want us to win tomorrow night? I don't see it that way. I think the majority of our fans will create the atmosphere they always create at our games," he said.

"I will never understand if somebody wants their own team to lose. That is not what sport is about. What I love more than anything is the competitiveness."