This Sunday the 22^nd, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. faces off against the Barclays Premier League leaders, Manchester City F.C., at Etihad Stadium. Amidst all the hype for this action-packed Sunday of football (in America and England), two of the best teams in England face off in what could be a hugely deciding game for the 2011-2012 EPL season. The winner of this game could likely go on to win the EPL – something major for both of these clubs whom both have not won a top-flight English league in over four decades.

Currently the Spurs are in 3^rd place in the EPL with 46 points. They trail both Manchester clubs, as Manchester United has 48 points, and Manchester City leads the league with 51 points. While a five point difference between Tottenham and Man City may seem like enough that the league leaders don’t need to worry too much about the result of their Sunday game, but this surely isn’t the case. If Tottenham beats Man City on Sunday, then Tottenham, Manchester United, and Manchester City will all be in breathing ticks of each other at the top of the league; if Tottenham loses, their chances of winning the EPL for the first time suddenly plummets from, “It could happen!” to, “Yeah…probably not….”

Tottenham’s charge to get to 3^rd place in the EPL certainly has been impressive. Despite finishing in 5^th place in the EPL last year and not winning any silverware in their 2010-2011 campaign, the Spurs have come all the way from a 0-2 start to be in the top three in the EPL – an area of the standings that has seen numerous teams come through, such as Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Chelsea. On the flip side, Manchester City has been lurking with Manchester United from the get-go - right up until their match back on October 23^rd when City beat the Red Devils 6-1. Man City has been in the driver’s seat of the EPL ever since that match.

Despite their charge, however, the Spurs are in for a tough title run. Considering that City has only lost two games during their entire EPL season so far, it would be tough to imagine that they would lose more than one or two games in the remaining few months. If the Spurs obtain three points against the league leaders on Sunday, then they will have to rely on City losing to other teams to slow down. That’s a possibility you don’t want to rely on. City only lost to Chelsea a few weeks ago and lost to Sunderland A.F.C. on New Year’s Day. Other than those two teams and a few draws, City has beaten down almost every other team in the league. Relying on City to suddenly slip up against a bottom half team is a losing bet for the Spurs to try to win the EPL. The only team that likely could hand City a loss is Manchester United – and the Red Devils were killed in their last meeting with their Manchester rivals. Even if United were to face City, it’s a win-lose for the Spurs, as United would likely go into first with a win. So, this game on Sunday means so much for the Spurs if they want to even have a chance of overtaking City in the standings. Relying on City to slow down by the measure of one loss or two draws is much more likely than the two losses or five draws that the Spurs will need if they can’t beat City on Sunday.

The Spurs can easily hold onto their spot as at least 3^rd place in the league, but if they’re looking for a trophy, no year may be better. Chelsea F.C. and Arsenal F.C. – two teams that routinely fight with Manchester United atop the EPL – are both struggling this season. The Spurs have a six point lead over the fourth place Chelsea Blues, so they don’t have to look behind their back in the league table too often. This is the first season in a while that multiple teams have been giving Manchester United a run in the standings too, meaning fewer teams are being blown out in the standings – including Tottenham. So much is in place for the Spurs to have a great season and they can easily finish in the top three of the Premiership for the first time. But it the Spurs want to win their first EPL title, they’ll need to push for more than just the top three. They can’t settle for just qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. They need to win these huge games against the giants atop the EPL. They haven’t beaten Manchester United or Manchester City this season, losing both games 3-0 and 1-5 respectively; They tied a game against Chelsea a few weeks ago that could be critical two points at the end; And they tied against the bottom half Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. last week – a game that if they won, they could have moved into a virtual tie with Manchester City coming into their match up this Sunday.

The time is no better for Manchester City either. They have steadily risen up the English football leagues in recent years, going all the way to win the FA Cup last year. This “other” Manchester team has never been so high in the EPL standings. They’ve always been at the mercy of Manchester United or some other team. This season, however, they have arguably their best squad ever thanks to their transfer spree prior to the season. Sergio Agüero, Samir Nasri, Gaël Clichy, and others joined the City team to start their 2011-2012 campaign. Along with the likes of Mario Balotelli and David Silva, Manchester City looked like a force to be reckoned with to start this season. For a high price that resulted in City losing out in more than $300 million, this Manchester club has their best chance to win their first top-flight English league title since the 1967-1968 season. Such a chance won’t last forever, as they can’t keep all those big stars for too long. Eventually, the deals of Balotelli, Silva, and others will all expire, allowing these players to leave City and move on to higher bidders. As all big spenders have to do, this City team has to capitalize now and win titles, or watch all their high investments turn out to be major busts.

The Spurs are still currently in the running in the EPL and also in the FA Cup. Manchester City is doing well in the EPL at the same time. They both still have a chance for silverware this year – more so for City than Tottenham – but none of those chances are guarantees. Man City has to compete against some of Europe’s better teams in the Europa League, and the Spurs have to compete against both Manchester teams in the EPL. Failures have already come about, as Man City is out of the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, and Tottenham is already out of it in the Carling Cup and Europa League. Everywhere you look, both these teams have already squandered chances for trophies this season. Neither team is currently in a major draught overall, as both have won the FA Cup recently, but England’s soccer gold has still evaded them for what seems to be eons. For City, a win on Sunday means they likely won’t have to worry about the Spurs catching up with them in the standings for the rest of the season; for Tottenham, a win on Sunday means their chances for their first EPL title has some serious hope. However, both of these teams’s most guaranteed chance for a trophy this season and a chance at their first top-flight English league title in decades, is likely hanging on one game this Sunday when they must face each other. How ironic.