LONDON -- Hugo Lloris says Tottenham can do "great things" against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City after the "perfect" victory over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
Second-place Spurs host league leaders City at White Hart Lane on Sunday, hoping to end Guardiola's 100 percent start to the Premier League season in his seventh match.
Spurs beat City home and away last season, finishing one place and four points above them in third, and Lloris is optimistic about another positive result, despite City's blistering start under the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.
"We have a lot of respect for Manchester City," said the Spurs captain. "It's true they had a great start but we're unbeaten too! It's true 'the Guardiola effect' took place very early.
"That's normal -- he's a great manager with a lot of great players in his squad, and they understand the football he wants to play. But we are more focused on ourselves. We know we are able to do great things against top teams. Let's see. In front of our fans, our crowd, anything is possible.
"They are ready to compete, and compete for the title, but we know that in football, and in the Premier League, everything is possible. It's a lot about belief, and the philosophy we built up over the last two-and-a-half years.
"We need to keep going. We are all enjoying the way we play football and in football we all love to compete against the best team and that will be the same on Sunday."
Spurs go into the match on the back of Tuesday's 1-0 victory in Moscow, while City failed to win for the first time under Guardiola midweek, drawing 3-3 with Celtic on Wednesday.
Lloris believes Spurs must take more chances but he says the visit of City -- who also like to build from the back and keep the ball -- could suit Tottenham.
"We need to improve in front of the goal. We need to be more clinical -- the last few games have been the same," the Frenchman continued. "But it's not only about this or this player, it's about a team performance and I hope we'll improve in this area.
"It will be a different game. The last few games we played teams who played deep, on the counter. That will not be the case against City. It will be a big fight for possession of the ball, so probably it will be a bit more open, and there will be more space behind the defence.
"CSKA is the perfect result to prepare for Sunday, a massive game. All the fans are expecting a big game, it's the same case for us and we'll try to prepare for this game as well as possible."
Meanwhile, Lloris' teammate Jan Vertonghen sees similarities between Guardiola and Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, and also believes Spurs have nothing to fear from City's visit.
"They share a bit of the same philosophy," Vertonghen said. "The way we want to press, the way we want to build up and keep trying, even in the last minute, to play from the back. That is our philosophy. He [Pochettino] is a great manager and I hope that he will be [here] in the long term, for many, many years to come.
"Manchester City at the moment is the best team in the league. I would not see it as a test but as a good fight. Hopefully we will come out on top.
"They have won their first 10 games or something -- to see the way they have won them, their away games as well, proves they are just a great side with players in top form defensively and attacking. But I think we are a good team as well. I don't think teams like to come to the Lane at the moment, so that is a good sign."
City will be without Vertonghen's Belgium teammate Kevin De Bruyne, sidelined with a hamstring injury, but boast one of Europe's in-form players in Sergio Aguero, who has scored eight goals in six matches, including five in the league.
Asked how Spurs stop the striker, Vertonghen said: "As a team!
"I think we are doing very well defensively and we have a good record. Thanks to the team, if you see how hard everybody works, it helps so much. It helps Hugo, it helps Toby [Alderweireld] and I, it helps all the defence. We go out there as a team like we do every game.
"I read that Toby said we don't need a lot of words. It's true. We don't speak a lot on the pitch. Maybe that is because we had the same education, played for the same teams and have the same philosophy. We know how to defend and we know how to help each other out."