Victory would give the lanky 23-year-old American his third gold in Beijing as he seeks to overtake Spitz's record of seven golds at a single Games.
It would also take him alongside "Flying Finn" distance runner Nurmi, swimmer Spitz, sprinter and long jumper Lewis, and female Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina with nine career golds.
On Day Three, Phelps needed a remarkable fightback from his team mates to claim gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay, after he had left them in second place in the first leg.
On Tuesday his fate is in his own hands and he will be feeling confident despite recording the fourth fastest time in qualifying. Phelps said he had been taking it easy after the drama of the relay, conserving energy for the long haul ahead.
"It's hard to put that kind of race behind you but it sets me up for something good tomorrow," he said. "The 200 free final, that's my first priority."
But if Phelps is his normal, laid-back self, his mother Debbie will be a bag of nerves in the stands.
"I get very nervous," she told Reuters. "Butterflies going, my hands are sweating, my heart is pounding, but I try to look very calm on the outside."
In the women's races, Kirsty Coventry is aiming to bring some rare cheer to troubled Zimbabwe when she competes in the women's 100 backstroke final.
Silver medalist in Sunday's 400 individual medley, the U.S.-based swimmer is in pole position for backstroke gold after setting a world record 58.77 in the semi-finals.
CHINA DIVE FOR GOLD
China are setting the pace at the top of the medals table with nine golds and may extend their lead on Tuesday, although the United States should hit their stride once the athletics gets under way at the end of the week.
The hosts hope to build on a successful start in the diving competition where they have already picked up the first two golds on offer. Chen Ruolin and Wang Xin aim to make it three out of three in the women's synchronized 10m platform.
Tickets for the diving have become among the hottest in town as China looks for a clean sweep.
China are also fancied to pick up a couple more golds in weightlifting, and are overwhelming favorites for men's team gold in artistic gymnastics.
With memories of a 2004 Athens Games judging scandal lingering, the judges kept several of the Chinese gymnasts waiting for up to 10 minutes each as they tried to agree on scores during Saturday's qualifying round.
But the favorites still ended on top, ahead of 2004 champions Japan and former powerhouse Russia.
The Chinese team said they had taken their inspiration from "Prince of Gymnastics" Li Ning, who lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony on Friday, circling high above the heads of spectators in a daredevil high-wire act.
"The feeling it gave us was an older brother who was lighting the flame," gymnast Zou Kai told reporters. "It was very exciting and moreover it was on our home soil."
Stock market investors were also inspired by the spectacle, shares in Li Ning's sportswear firm soaring on Monday and making him $30 million richer.
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