Manchester United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford in a blockbuster Super Sunday teatime match.
A win for Man Utd could put them into the top ten whilst Spurs could climb into the top five with victory if results elsewhere go in their favour.
Team News
Bruno Fernandes is a doubt for Man Utd after missing Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Brighton with a thigh injury.
Harry Maguire sat out that match after suffering a knock in last Saturday’s clash against the Seagulls but is expected to be fit enough for the bench at a minimum.
Axel Tuanzebe (foot) and Phil Jones (knee) continue to remain absent although Tuanzebe could return after the international break.
Tottenham could be without Giovani Lo Celso due to a tight muscle issue but Son Heung-Min is in contention for a surprise early return, having missed Spurs’ last two matches with a thigh injury.
Gareth Bale (knee) is still sidelined but set to be available for the matchday squad after the international break.
Stat Attack
- Man Utd are unbeaten in three of their last five Premier League meetings against Tottenham (W2, D1, L2).
- Tottenham have won just one of their last six trips to Old Trafford (W1, L5).
- Man Utd are yet to concede a penalty kick to Tottenham after 56 previous Premier League meetings.
- No Premier League midfielder has made more clearances so far this season than Tottenham’s Eric Dier, who has made 17 clearances in three appearances.
- Bruno Fernandes is the only Man Utd player to have played one through ball in the league so far this season.
Prediction
Man Utd have had to really dig deep for their two victories over Brighton in the last seven days across two different competitions, although that experience will stand them in good stead against a Tottenham team who have been dominant going forward in their three matches this week yet are still defensively poor at times.
Fitness though will play a huge role in this encounter because Man Utd have had the advantage decent gaps between their games this past week and advantage of squad rotation, whereas Spurs have fielded strong starting line-ups in three games across five days which will have taken a lot out of them physically and could influence Jose Mourinho’s tactics in this game.
We should consequently expect an exciting game between two strong teams but fitness ultimately will be telling in the closing stages and Man Utd should have the edge to grab a winner with or without Fernandes, despite the fact that Spurs put seven past Maccabi Haifa on Thursday.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Result: Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham Hotspur