Consistency will be more important than three points against Arsenal, according to Manchester City attacker Kevin De Bruyne, who believes his side have not hit top gear.
De Bruyne has hit the ground running since signing for City in a club record deal worth £54.5million, scoring nine goals in 17 games across all competitions.
City sit third in the table ahead of Monday's showdown with fellow title rivals Arsenal, who sit in second, and could move top of the table with a win.
But De Bruyne believes City are yet to peak, and achieving a higher level of play consistently will be key to winning the title.
"In the end, the game is important if you win it and then keep on winning," De Bruyne told Sky Sports.
"If you win against Arsenal, then lose the other one it does not really matter. So I think the most important things is to get a couple of wins and then see what is happening with the rest.
"Leicester are doing really well at the moment, playing really good and hopefully for them they will continue this form.
"But it is going to be difficult as it is a hard Premier League. I think the other teams are also there and the distance between fifth and sixth [and the top] is not that big.
"So that is why it is important to have a run of a couple of games where you come out winning, so you can make a break and put pressure on the other ones."
De Bruyne said he did not feel City had consistently played their best football this season, which he feels makes their position in the table even more promising.
"Sometimes it is not necessary [for City to perform at their peak], so it depends on how the game goes," the Belgium international added.
"If you are already winning 3-0 or 4-0, you can obviously put the brakes on a bit because afterwards you have a lot of games left so you can save a lot of energy.
"But also sometimes we were in difficult positions and then came back, so that showed fighting spirit, but we can play even better.
"I would say we are doing good because maybe we have not played at our best level yet."
