Tottenham Hotspur take a trip to Old Trafford this Sunday, hoping to continue their three-game winning run against a brittle Manchester United side.
After the gut-wrenching loss to arch-rivals Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, Spurs have claimed wins on the trot over Coventry City (EFL Cup), Brentford (Premier League) and Qarabag FK (Europa League).
Dominic Solanke has hit his strides, bagging two goals and an assist in his last two outings, while Brennan Johnson is coming into form with three goals in as many games. James Maddison is also enjoying a little renaissance.
However, Spurs will be worried about the situation with skipper Son Heung-min, who limped off with a knock from last night’s 3-0 win over Qarabag. Solanke had pounced on his shot, which the keeper spilt, to score, but Son took a knock in the process.
Coach Ange Postecoglou and the fans will be sweating over his fitness for the clash against the Red Devils. They need all hands on deck against United.
Tottenham’s record against the 20-time Premier League champion makes for grim reading, with Spurs winning only two of their previous ten clashes (D3, L5).
Nevertheless, Spurs will take confidence from their record against Man United since Postecoglou took charge. The two Premier League match-ups last term ended with Spurs winning at home and leaving Old Trafford with a point.
United are also not in the best form, having struggled in their last two games against Twente FC and Crystal Palace. The Reds drew both games as they continued to disappoint under manager Erik ten Hag.
United’s attack remains a blunt force, and the shaky midfield does not help either. Breaching United’s defence is easy because of their poor midfield shape, and Postecoglou’s side must believe they can get a decent result against them this Sunday.
Apart from Son, Spurs have a clean bill of health, and Postecoglou will likely turn to his trusted generals to start this tie after plenty of rotation against Qarabag.
Yves Bissouma must make way after what journalist Alasdair Gold described as “an erratic display” against Qarabag. The Malian gave away a cheap penalty and didn’t handle the ball well. Tottenham need more control against United and he should drop to the bench for Rodrigo Bentancur.
Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski are all expected to start the United clash.
Predicted Tottenham Line-up v Man United
(4-3-3): Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison; Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson.