It is yet another exciting clash in the Premier League season, and this time it’s Manchester United who makes the trip to the capital, to face Tottenham Hotspur. Jose Mourinho’s Spurs will be looking to record their first double over the Red Devils since the 1989-1990 season on Sunday. Spurs humiliated Man United 1-6 at Old Trafford earlier this season and Man United will surely be looking for revenge in what seems to be a fiery clash this weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur have had a difficult season and although they are still in the hunt for the last Champions League spot, the fans will surely be unhappy with how the season has panned out so far. They were dumped out of the Europa League after Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb completed a stunning comeback in the second leg.
Their form of late has not been the most compelling with 2 losses and a draw in the last 5 games. Manager Jose Mourinho has been criticized for his tactics and he will be desperate to do the double over United to give the fans something to be happy about.
The Lilywhites were last in action against relegation-threatened Newcastle United, who fought back heroically to get a much-needed point from the game. This game was the sixth League game this season that has seen Spurs draw the game after leading at half-time.
On the other hand, Manchester United have been in fine form coming into Sunday’s game and will be looking to continue their streak against a team that is low on morale. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men haven’t lost any of their league games since the 28th of January when they lost against Sheffield United at home.
Since then, they have only one loss in 17 games in all competitions having lost against Leicester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The Red Devils were in action in the midweek in Spain against LA Liga club Granada in the Europa League quarterfinals and they put on a strong display to win 2-0 and get a couple of vital away goals.
They played Brighton and Hove Albion in the league last weekend when they came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at home. That win cemented their position in the top 4 and United will be looking to get three more points that will take them further ahead of 3rd placed Leicester City, who play 4th placed West Ham on Sunday. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will definitely be looking for revenge for the thrashing they faced in September.
The 1-6 battering of Manchester United by Spurs was seen as a marker laid down by the London club signaling the start of their title challenge and it seemed then that Manchester United will have to be content with a spot outside the top 4 this season. However, since that game at Old Trafford, the trajectories of both clubs could not have gone differently. United went on a strong run of displays since then and were top of the table in January.
However, the Spurs who had a few good results after that game faltered soon after and were fifth in January. Now, they find themselves in the sixth, 3 points off 4th placed West Ham while United are 2nd, a whopping 11 points ahead.
TEAM NEWS:
Tottenham Hotspur will be without defensive duo Matt Doherty and Ben Davies as both are ruled out with injuries. With the exception of those two, Jose Mourinho should have a full squad at his disposal. Heung-min Son returned to the squad and featured off the bench in Spurs’ 2-2 draw against Newcastle United last week. Toby Aldeweireld and Serge Aurier who both missed the draw due to a missed COVID-19 test, will be back in contention against United.
Manchester United striker Anthony Martial suffered a knee injury on international duty and is likely to be out for the rest of the season. Ivorian defender Eric Bailly who tested positive for COVID-19 is still isolating back home in Ivory Coast and is set to miss the weekend fixture against Spurs. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have a decision to make on Marcus Rashford who is facing an ankle issue and remains a doubt for the game. Dean Henderson could return to the starting lineup as David de Gea started the Europa League game on Thursday.
PREDICTED LINEUPS:
Tottenham Hotspur XI: Hugo Lloris; Serge Aurier, Joe Rodon, Toby Aldeweireld, Sergio Reguilon; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguay Ndombele; Gareth Bale, Lucas, Heung-min Son; Harry Kane.
Manchester United XI: Dean Henderson; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Edinson Cavani.
PREDICTION:
Spurs vs Man United – 2:1
