Eliaquim Mangala is preparing for the challenge of facing PFA Young Player of the Year Harry Kane when Manchester City take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
A City victory will all but secure Champions League qualification for next season, with fifth-placed Liverpool nine points behind with four games left.
And Frenchman Mangala, who is expected to start alongside centre-back Martin Demichelis, is relishing the prospect of facing his international teammates as well as Kane.
Mangala said: “It will be good to see my France team-mates again. As for Kane, he has a very good season.
“He is young and I think that for us it’s more challenging and exciting to play against a player who is in such a rich vein of form.
“It’s a test for us because he has scored a lot of goals against very good defences so it will be a busy afternoon, I’m sure.
“I think it will be a good game and I intend to win my battles to ensure we travel home with three points.”
Kane’s current goal tally in the Premier League is 20, and it appears that it will be a straight shootout with City’s talisman Sergio Aguero, who has 21 goals, as to who will win the Golden Boot.
Diego Costa, further back on 19 goals for the campaign, may not play for the remainder of the season, and Aguero will be looking to pick up the accolade for the first time.
To ensure this happens, Mangala knows City must provide a solid platform for him, and the 24-year-old is enjoying his time in the side during Vincent Kompany’s absence through injury.
“Everything is going well with Martin,” he said. “He is a very experienced player and I have a lot of things that I can learn from him.
“His style of play is a bit different from mine. He is calm and he anticipates more than just looking to win a challenge.
“We communicate on the pitch in Spanish together easier but we also sometimes we speak in English as well.”
Image courtesy of MCFC via YouTube, with thanks.
