Samir Nasri admits Manchester City's players are already eyeing their showdown with Chelsea.
Nasri says they aim to close the six-point gap between them and leaders Chelsea before the top two go head to head on January 31.
"They have a tough week - they play against Tottenham and then Newcastle away, so it was important to close the gap.
"We had more points at this time last year but we know how important it is to be as close as possible to the top because if you want to win the league a lot can happen over Christmas.
"By New Year's Day we want to be closer to Chelsea - the game at Stamford Bridge in January will be like a final.
"But teams like Southampton are still there, United are coming back so it will be open for a while yet."
