Tottenham aiming for first league double over EPL champions for 35 years

Tottenham Hotspur will be out to secure a first top-flight double over the reigning champions in the Premier League era when Manchester City welcome Antonio Conte’s side to the Etihad on Saturday evening.

The Lilywhites’ hopes of returning to the Champions League have been dealt a trio of blows with defeats to Chelsea, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in recent weeks.

However, Spurs did manage to beat Man City 1-0 in the first gameweek of the season under Nuno Espirito Santo, with Son Heung-min netting the only goal of the contest.

Should Conte’s side manage to claim all three points against the Citizens on Saturday, it will mark the first time since the 1986-87 season that they have managed to do the double over the reigning champions.

That year, Spurs marched to a pair of 1-0 victories over Liverpool, and not since November 2004 have the Lilywhites lost four Premier League games on the bounce.

If they win, it will also be the first timeTottenham Hotspur have won three of their last four Premier League matches against Man City (L1), albeit with each victory coming at home.

Having won this season’s reverse fixture, they can secure their first ever double over the reigning Premier League champions.

Spurs’ Son Heung-min has scored six goals in his last eight appearances against Man City in all competitions, netting the winner in the reverse fixture on the opening weekend this season.

This will be the fifth meeting between Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte in all competitions. In 2016/17, Conte became the first manager to achieve a league double over the Spaniard, while Guardiola won both meetings with the Italian the following campaign.

Conte’s men have slipped to eighth in the table ahead of Saturday’s game – seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United with three games in hand.