London: Manchester City will play Arsenal on Saturday in the first of four Premier League games that will determine just how much a 200 million pound (USD 307 million) spending spree on new players can buy.
Funded by its wealthy owners, fifth-place City is two points behind Tottenham with four matches remaining in the chase for fourth and a first-ever appearance in the Champions League.
A trip to Arsenal is a tough way to start. Arsenal is out of contention for the title after two straight losses, but the Gunners are hoping to finish on a high to build confidence for next season.
"Perhaps we will catch them when they are cold or with their heads down and have a few players missing, but whatever their frame of mind we know it will be tough," City winger Adam Johnson said. "Nothing will be decided this weekend. There is a lot of football yet to be played. The make or break games are likely to be when Villa and Tottenham come to our place.
"But the one thing that is for sure is that if we win our final four games then we will finish fourth."
City could take an edge over Tottenham this weekend, with Spurs at second-place Manchester United. Tottenham has beaten Arsenal and leader Chelsea in its last two matches but has not won at Old Trafford since 1989.
City manager Roberto Mancini is confident that the team's expenditure over the past two years will result in Champions League football next season. And he expects the club to spend even more before the June 11-July 11 World Cup in an effort to challenge for the European and English titles.
"If you want to build a team that next year plays to win the Premier League, we must get top players," Mancini said. "Next year we want to play to win the Premier League.
"For this to happen, we must improve this team."
Mancini's current squad contains four former Arsenal players, all of whom have a chance of playing at Arsenal.
Patrick Vieira, Kolo Toure and Sylvinho should all be greeted warmly by Arsenal fans, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is asking fans not to jeer striker Emmanuel Adebayor for criticizing the club he left last year and celebrating wildly when he scored in City's 4-2 win over Arsenal in September.
"Sometimes in the heat of the moment you can do things that are not right," Wenger said. "We have always had the same line of conduct: to respect what they have done for us, and we want our fans to respect that as well and encourage our team."
England defender Micah Richards could play for the first time in a month after recovering from a knee injury.
Arsenal's challenge evaporated with losses at Tottenham and Wigan, with injuries to key players contributing to a disappointing second half of the season.
With William Gallas, Cesc Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin, Manuel Almunia and Denilson all on the sidelines, Wenger is hoping to have midfielder Alex Song back in action.
Manchester United, which beat City 1-0 last weekend to move to within a point of Chelsea, has defenders Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand back in its squad to face a Tottenham side that Ferguson said is the best since he joined United in 1986.
"There's always been a sense of atmosphere around the place, but in training this week it's been noticeable, the lift," Ferguson said. "We just need to do our job and let Chelsea deal with their situation. We know we have to win, that's the important thing."
Chelsea is without suspended captain John Terry when it hosts Stoke on Sunday, while Aston Villa hosts local rival Birmingham, Liverpool is at Burnley and Everton hosts Fulham.
Also Saturday, it's: Bolton vs Portsmouth; Hull vs Sunderland; West Ham vs Wigan; and Wolverhampton vs Blackburn.
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