Man City must 'stand up' from Tottenham knockout blow to keep Liverpool at bay

London: The third act of Manchester City and Tottenham's trilogy has some living up to do after a Champions League classic saw Spurs prevail on away goals to reach the semi-finals.

However, their Premier League meeting on Saturday has huge implications for both City's bid to win the title and Spurs' hopes of just qualifying for the Champions League again next season.

Pep Guardiola's men are five games away from becoming the first side in a decade to retain the Premier League.

However, it is Liverpool who lead by two points as things stand having played a game more than their title rivals. City were on course for an unprecedented quadruple until falling short in the most dramatic fashion in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

With the sides level at 4-4 on aggregate, Raheem Sterling scored the goal that would have sent City through in stoppage time, only for a VAR review to rule the goal out for offside.

"We have to stand up, we have to react," said Guardiola.

"We fought a lot in the last nine or 10 months for the Premier League. We are still there, it is in our hands. Of course it is tough, but we have to do it until the end."

City's extra resources may have counted for little once more in Europe, but it could prove the difference with such a tight turnaround for both sides.

Guardiola could afford the luxury of leaving Fernandinho, Leroy Sane, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones on the bench in midweek.

By contrast, Tottenham remain without Harry Kane and are now desperately short in midfield after Moussa Sissoko limped off midway through the first-half on Wednesday. And should they lose a fifth straight away league game, third-placed Spurs could easily find themselves outside the top four come the end of the weekend.