Defeat to Spurs could be one too many for Keegan

He said: "I am enough of a realist to know that two or three more bad results and my job is on the line. If your results aren't right over a long period someone else gets the chance to do your job. It is just the jungle we live in and it's accepted and understandable." It is difficult to contemplate-given Keegan's relationship with chairman John Wardle, that he would be shown the door. But then Keegan, as he demonstrated during his tenure as England manager, has a penchant for walking away before it gets to that stage.

The biggest problem for him on Sunday, aside from a goalkeeping quandary, will be motivating the enigma that is Anelka. City have won just two Premiership games at home all season - the last against Bolton back in October - and there are many who suggest that if Anelka doesn't play well, then neither do City. The moody Frenchman played down a row with Keegan last week and went so far as to say on TV that he would be staying at the club for as long as Keegan was in charge.

Keegan has spent ?50million assembling a team that is clearly under performing. The figure is the fourth biggest outlay in Europe behind Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid. But the club's debts are not as high as some maintain. City reported a ?10m loss but have a further ?40m of debt classed as ' outstanding loans' from the chairman.

City fans know they should be watching a quality team inside their new City of Manchester stadium. An FA Cup defeat at the hands of an improving Spurs side would be another nail in Keegan's coffin.

Although Claudio Reyna will return to their engine room in place of Joey Barton and Fowler will be back in attack after a knee injury, the major headache surrounds the battle to replace cup-tied England goalkeeper David James.

That decision will be taken after a practice match at the club's Carrington training ground. Keegan has to choose between Iceland's No1 Arni Gautur Arason or young Dane Kevin Stuhr- Ellegaard.

The stakes are high for Keegan. Defeat could easily signal the beginning of the end of his time as City manager and it won't be easy to overcome a Spurs side who dumped them out of this season's Carling Cup at White Hart Lane.

Spurs' acting manager David Pleat is awaiting fitness reports on Stephane Dalmat and Ledley King. Dalmat has seen a specialist about his back injury and King underwent scans on a niggling muscle problem that kept him out of the win over Liverpool last Saturday.

New signing Michael Brown stands by to deputise against his former club on his 27th birthday.

Meanwhile, Milenko Acimovic has left Spurs to join French club Lille on loan for the rest of the season.