LONDON • Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has warned Tottenham Hotspur that his star striker Sergio Aguero will be at his fittest when the two sides meet today.
Aguero ended a five-game goal drought in City's League Cup win at Sunderland on Tuesday. And Pellegrini admitted that the Argentinian was not fully fit when he spurned chances last week against West Ham after picking up a knee injury at Crystal Palace in a previous match.
"Maybe after his injury - against West Ham, Aguero wasn't 100 per cent, but now I believe he is. He's an important player," the Chilean told a press conference yesterday.
Tottenham, incidentally, are Aguero's favourite opponents. He has netted against the north Londoners more times than against any other club, with 10 goals in seven games.
City, as a whole, have enjoyed their battles with Spurs. Tottenham have conceded 16 goals in their last four games against City, including two defeats that ended with a 1-5 scoreline.
City go to White Hart Lane averaging two goals per game in the English Premier League so far this season, and midfielder Yaya Toure suggested the leaders will score even more once recruits Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne have settled in.
"In Africa, we say it is like mayonnaise - you all blend together," Toure said. "It is difficult at the moment because we just bought players such as de Bruyne and Sterling. We must make sure they feel part of the team."
Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier admitted Spurs have often struggled against the big boys.
In the first few months of Mauricio Pochettino's reign at White Hart Lane, Spurs conceded 10 goals in three losses to City, Chelsea and Liverpool. But home wins over eventual champions Chelsea and Arsenal at the start of this year have given them newfound confidence.
"We have got over this thing about the bigger teams and we go into it with a different mentality now," Dier told London24.
"If you look back to the beginning of last season (and compare it) to now, we go into these games with a completely different mentality and we fight them toe to toe. Hopefully we can do that on Saturday.
"We were disappointed with our results against (City) last season because we held our own against the other big teams. We'll be looking to put that right."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
