“They had a decisive test against Liverpool and City”, he said.
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Van Gaal concedes it is plausible the club have made contact with Mourinho in secret, but he is hoping that is not the case.
“I’d rather keep the cash for football than have my girlfriend find out”, he said.
“Because that is the effect of what I have said. I do not know how they will respond to that”.
This is a game between two heavyweight title contenders, but as Manchester City have shown us throughout the course of this season, they do not like it when teams press them with intensity.
It is a mark of how seriously Leicester’s challenge is being taken that both City manager Manuel Pellegrini and his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger have declared them favourites, doubtless in the hope that they will crumble beneath the weight of expectation.
The Foxes sit five points clear of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur and third-placed Arsenal with just 13 games remaining and the previously unthinkable prospect of the unfashionable outfit winning a first ever top-flight title is now a genuine possibility. “Now we are enjoying it”.
“I think are dying to see a successful team”. Dele Alli, Eric Dier and even Harry Kane have taken huge steps under him.
Manchester City was beaten last Saturday by Leicester City by a score of 3-1.
One of those defeats was at home to Arsenal in September, but Ranieri feels that the pressure is on the Gunners this weekend.
Leicester, Tottenham, and Arsenal who are all ahead of Manchester City in the standings all have a better away record as well.
Leicester City are not just playing for their fans anymore, they are playing for all of us and if they win the league they will make nearly every football fan in the world happy.
Just hours after the final whistle at the Emirates Stadium, attention will turn north to Eastlands, where City host Tottenham in the other fixture with major implications for the title race this weekend. The first thing is to fight and to work for the team.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side come into this one off the back of their hard earned 1-0 win over Watford last weekend.
And although this season has thrown past history into the dustbin where Leicester are concerned, the Foxes have not scavenged a win against Arsenal since 1994.
By 6.15pm on Sunday, we’ll know the score but there are pre-game trends to watch out for.
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Liverpool, dumped out of the FA Cup by West Ham United in midweek and rocked by their fans’ recent walkout over ticket prices, could also do with a morale-boosting win when they face bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa.
