Manchester United can’t seem to leave their struggles behind and they are coming off another draw. This past Sunday, they had to settle for a 2-2 home draw against Aston Villa despite being up by one goal midway into the second half. Knowing they must win at all costs here, The Red Devils will take on a Top 6 opponent when Tottenham come to Old Trafford. This game will mark Jose Mourinho’s return to Old Trafford after he was fired by the club in December last year. Kick-off for this match has been scheduled for 19:30 GMT.
Team News
United will not feature Paul Pogba (ankle), Marcos Rojo (muscle injury), Diogo Dalot (groin), Eric Bailly (knee) and Timothy Fosu-Mensah (knee), as all these players have already been ruled out by the coaching staff. Furthermore, two central midfielders are doubtful since both Nemanja Matic (groin) and Scott McTominay (ankle) will be game-time decisions. That said, the Scottish international has a good chance of returning to action. He couldn’t feature against Villa, but should be able to return here.
Meanwhile, the Spurs won’t have four players due to several injuries. The losses of French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (elbow) and the Argentine playmaker Erik Lamela (thigh) stand out, but Ben Davies (ankle) and backup goalkeeper Michael Vorm (calf) are also ruled out for this clash, meaning Paulo Gazzaniga will remain between the posts for the Spurs.
Form guide
Manchester United could jump to fifth place in the standings if they secure the three points in this match. However, they would also require other results to happen to accomplish that feat. Even in the best scenario, The Red Devils have been quite inconsistent. Their home form is showing promise, however, as they have lost just once in seven matches at Old Trafford thus far. But a run of three draws in their last four shouldn’t exactly inspire confidence in the home fans.
Meanwhile, the Spurs have struggled badly on the road and register just one win in seven matches, while also losing thrice during that span. They might be on the rise, though, with two straight games without defeat away from home. For what is worth, Mourinho has started his Tottenham tenure strongly with three wins in equal number of matches. The Spurs are coming off a 3-2 win over Bournemouth in their previous Premier League match.
What is our recent record against Tottenham?
Manchester United and Tottenham own a balanced record in competitive matches over the past few years. During the last 10 meetings between these two sides, The Red Devils have six wins against Tottenham’s four. If we analyse solely the last five Premier League matches, however, then the Spurs have a W3, L2 edge. But over the last 10 EPL outings, Manchester United lead once again with a W5, D1, L4 mark.
The most recent meeting between these two sides happened in January 13th, 2019. Manchester United won that match 1-0 thanks to a goal from Marcus Rashford.
Predicted outcome
Both teams have strong squads so it’s unlikely to see either side edging the other on a name-to-name basis. It will be a tight match given both sides’ strengths and weaknesses. Considering the recent results from both sides the Spurs might have an edge, but The Red Devils have been playing their best football at home. Expect this one to end in a draw.
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