Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City face off at Wembley Stadium in the pick of matchday 10's Premier League fixtures, separated by just two points.
The Lilywhites have made their best start to a Premier League campaign by winning seven out of nine so far, but they still find themselves four places below a near-perfect Man City side.
Both managers have been full of praise for one another in the build-up to Monday evening's clash, which pits together some of the best players the world has to offer.
Here, Sports Mole selects the strongest combined XI from both teams using those expected to be available.
Out: Eliaquim Mangala (knee), Claudio Bravo (Achilles), Ilkay Gundogan (hamstring), Danilo (ankle), Vincent Janssen (foot), Jan Vertonghen (hamstring)
Doubtful: Dele Alli (hamstring), Danny Rose (groin)
There is no doubt that, while Hugo Lloris remains an extremely talented sweeper keeper, his stock has fallen since helping France to lift the World Cup. The 31-year-old made his latest high-profile error in the 2-2 draw against PSV Eindhoven in midweek, whereas any sort of mistake from Ederson is extremely rare.
Man City snapped up Kyle Walker from Spurs last summer in a big-money deal, which has allowed Kieran Trippier to blossom down the right for the Lilywhites. Walker has added another string to his bow over the past 12 months by shifting into a more central position when required, but Trippier offers a better route to goal and can also keep out the opposition. Pochettino has the luxury of chopping and changing both full-backs by the week, with Ben Davies and Rose in contention at left-back this week, though Benjamin Mendy has given Man City a completely different dimension since recovering from a long-term layoff and gets the nod in this side.
The visitors have conceded just three goals in the Premier League across the first three months, and the only ever-present in their side during that time has been Aymeric Laporte. The club-record signing was given time to adapt in the second half of last season and has been mightily impressive in the opening stages of this one, linking up with a mix of John Stones, Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi. Toby Alderweireld has also been a consistent presence in the heart of Tottenham's backline for a number of years now, and he has been used regularly by Mauricio Pochettino this season.
Both teams are also blessed with plenty of options in midfield and up front, none more so than Kevin De Bruyne, who was named Man City's Player of the Year in a record-breaking campaign last time out. If De Bruyne is the attacking brain in this side, then Fernandinho alongside him is the man to provide some much-needed defensive steel, with the Brazilian a far more rounded player than Tottenham's Eric Dier.
The Premier League's top most consistent strikers over the past four seasons quite simply have to get the nod up top, meanwhile, even if that comes at the expense of some attacking flair in deeper positions. Harry Kane outscored Sergio Aguero by nine goals last season, though there is very little to choose between the pair overall, and already they have 11 goals between them in 2018-19.
Out wide, Raheem Sterling boasts impressive stats since the start of last season in terms of goals and assists, claiming a combined 35 during that time, while Leroy Sane has forced his way back into Pep Guardiola's plans following a difficult summer and a slow start to this season. The likes of David Silva, Christian Eriksen and Riyad Mahrez miss out on selection, showing just how much quality there is to choose from.
Daniel Lewis
