Premier League preview: Manchester City v Tottenham

Spurs visit Manchester City on Tuesday knowing anything less than a win will end their hopes of Champions League qualification.

But they will have to do it without the influence of speedy winger Gareth Bale, who will have scans on Monday to determine the extent of the damage to his ankle after a crunching tackle from Blackpool’s Charlie Adam in their 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

If Roberto Mancini’s side are good enough to beat Spurs for the first time in the league since 2008 they will be certain of fourth spot, and will move to within two points of a fading Arsenal in third – meaning automatic Champions League qualification becomes a distinct possibility.

Harry Redknapp’s side enjoyed a memorable run in the Champions League this season, with wins over Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Dutch champions Twente and AC Milan before they were eventually eliminated in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid.

With three games remaining, Spurs are in fifth place in the league, six behind Manchester City in the race for fourth which would put them in the Champions League qualifiers for next season – the same place from where they began their European quest last August.

Spurs’ form in the league of late has been dire, with just one win from their past nine games.

Mancini’s side, meanwhile, have been patchy themselves and suffered a 2-1 loss to Everton at Goodison on Saturday.

They were thrashed 3-0 at Liverpool on April 11 and then enjoyed slender wins over West Ham and Blackburn before the trip to Merseyside.

In the only other meeting between the two sides this season they played out a goalless draw at White Hart Lane on the opening day.

Redknapp has an extensive injury list ahead of the clash and as well as Bale he is likely to be without playmaker Luka Modric who has a hip problem, while Peter Crouch could manage only 25 minutes against Blackpool because of back spasms.

If the blows to his attacking stocks were not bad enough, Redknapp’s rearguard has also been decimated with Ledley King, Alan Hutton and Jonathan Woodgate all unavailable, and midfielder Wilson Palacios still bothered by a knee complaint.

Mancini, meanwhile, has some key personnel of his own unavailable, with club top scorer Carlos Tevez and defender Micah Richards still recovering from hamstring injuries.

Defender Jerome Boateng is suffering from a knee injury and goalkeeper Shay Given is out with a shoulder problem.