"Tottenham are strong in every situation. Everyone is speaking about Leicester but nobody about Tottenham," Ranieri told British media. "Tottenham, in my opinion, are favourites. When they defend and when they attack, they know what they want.
"We are the surprise, that is fantastic, a good energy, but if we are realistic the real competitors are Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham."
Arsenal are third on 51 points with Manchester City in fourth on 47 points.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Leicester host 13-placed West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday, while Spurs face a challenging trip to sixth-placed West Ham United the following day.
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
