Manchester, (UK): Manchester United will on Sunday, January 14, welcome Tottenham in the standout weekend fixture of the English Premier League.
The blockbuster fixture presents a highly anticipated action for the football world with Erik ten Hag’s United facing an uphill task to redeem themselves from a run of inconsistent form against Ange Postecoglu’s high-flying Tottenham who will be without a host of their key players missing the action through injury and international duty call ups.
The match, a battle for the European slot kicks off at 7.30 pm, EAT and DailyExpress brings you the breakdown, preview and analysis of this mammoth fixture.
Recent Form:
Erik ten Hag’s side has been notably inconsistent in recent performances, having lost their last premier league game away to Nottingham Forest.
Despite this setback, they managed to advance past Wigan in the FA Cup although the manager would still be wary of his wasteful side in the opponent’s final third.
In their last five league matches, United has struggled, winning only 1, drawing once and losing three.
On the other hand, Spurs have been in contrasting form, winning 4 out of their last 5 Premier League games in December following a difficult spell of 4 losses and 1 draw in their previous 5 Premier League games.
Home and Away Performances:
- Man Utd have won three of their last four Premier League home matches while Tottenham have failed to win three of their last four Premier League away games.
Key Facts:
- Under Ange Postecoglou, Spurs have consistently scored in every game, (all competitions) amassing 42 league goals. (3rd most).
- Manchester United (Utd) on the other hand is among the league’s least prolific goal-scorers, with only 22 goals; only Sheffield United (15) and Burnley (20) have scored less in the English top-flight division.
Head to Head (H2H):
In the first leg this season at Tottenham Hotspur stadium, Spurs secured a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Pape Matar Sarr and an unfortunate Lisandro Martinez own goal.
United however boasts a historical advantage with 96 wins, against Tottenham’s 54, and 50 draws between them.
Team News
Manchester United:
- Luke Shaw is likely to return from a muscular injury.
- Several players, including Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Casemiro, Mason Mount, and Anthony Martial, are close to returning according to club reports.
- Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana could play his last Premier League game before heading to Ivory Coast for AFCON.
- Jadon Sancho has left the club on loan to join Borussia Dortmund.
Tottenham:
- Spurs, meanwhile, will be missing Ben Davies after he suffered a hamstring injury during the Carabao Cup win over Burnley, while Giovani Lo Celso is also ruled out, with the pair facing a month on the sidelines.
- James Maddison and Alejo Veliz will not be available, while Cristian Romero has returned to training but the match is likely to come too soon.
- Ange’s talisman, Son Heung-min is off to the Asia Cup, while Midfield duo of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr have both left to join up with their national teammates for the upcoming AFCON.
- The good news is that Dejan Kulusevski returns from suspension, and summer signing Micky van de Ven could feature in this fixture having returned to the bench in their FA Cup match against Burnley last week.
- Timo Werner could make his Spurs debut after joining on loan from RB Leipzig, while their latest arrival; Radu Dragusin might not feature having joined from his former Genoa late in the week.
League Standings:
- Spurs currently sit 5th on 39 points and a win for them could see them leapfrog Arsenal to 4th place with a win at Old Trafford.
- Man United find themselves in 8th position, 8 points behind their London visitors and could move a place ahead of Brighton in 7th who play Wolves a day later on Monday night.
Conclusion
With Tottenham missing some of their key players, could Manchester United get one over their visitors and maybe push them in their charge for a top 4 finish? Only time will tell!!
All in all, Manchester United’s home form and unpredictability coupled with Spurs’ resurgence amid poor away form sets up an exciting match for neutrals to enjoy.
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