Tottenham Hotspur will hope to build on their solid European midweek win when they host Manchester United in Saturday’s early kickoff.
Spurs’ form has been patchy of late – though they beat Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League, they lost to Chelsea and Newcastle in domestic competitions last week.
However, in the context of the Man United game, Tottenham are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with the Red Devils across competitions.
That said, Man United have been gradually improving and head into the game in decent shape, boasting a four-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Team News and Predicted Line-Ups
There are no fresh injuries to report as “everyone came through the midweek game well”, according to Thomas Frank.
However, Mohammed Kudus is “touch and go” for this weekend after picking up a knock in training.
Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, who recently had “small spells” on the sidelines, “responded well” after starting against Copenhagen on Tuesday night.
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-2-3-1): Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Kolo Muani
Key Battles & What to Watch
Tottenham will aim to press United high and disrupt their rhythm, using home advantage and their recent dominance in this fixture as momentum.
United, for their part, will rely on experience and resilience; breaking the recent run without a win vs Spurs would be a huge psychological boost.
Defence vs attack: Spurs’ defensive frailties have been exposed, and United will be keen to test that with quick transitions and opportunistic attacks.
Given the recent results, a tight match is likely, albeit with potential for moments of quality from both sides.
Prediction
With Tottenham’s recent superiority in this fixture and United’s desire for a breakthrough, this one looks finely balanced.
We predict a result of Tottenham 2-1 Manchester United. Spurs should edge the contest, but United will make it competitive.
