Premier League: What Will Manchester United Find in North London?

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

In a full midweek programme of Premier League football, there are some standout fixtures and without a doubt, Spurs v Manchester United is one of the box office clashes.

These two giants of the English game always put on a good show, traditionally two sides with attacking intent and this is a game to attract neutrals around the country. And this time around there is more intrigue than usual. Neither Tottenham nor Manchester United have had a sparkling campaign though Erik Ten Hag has led the Red Devils to the Carabao Cup triumph, a first trophy since they won the same competition in 2017.

It’s fifth versus fourth, though maybe not as nail-biting as that sounds as the Whites, who have just changed their manager for the second time in a month, are six points behind their visitors, having played two games more, and Manchester United are probably as worried about a late charge from Liverpool, or even Brighton and Hove Albion.

Spurs are in disarray, still smarting from a 6-1 spanking away to Newcastle United, meanwhile the Red Devils come into the game on the back of an FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton in a tense penalty shootout.

The Premier League 2023 betting odds marginally favour Ten Hag’s men though all three results are well in play and the Tottenham players certainly own their fans.

Talking Points

Ryan Mason back on the touchline

The pre-match Premier League 2023 news has been dominated by the announcement, last night, that Tottenham have sacked interim head coach Cristian Stellini after just 30 days and four games in charge. The board wielded the axe after coming to terms with the crushing defeat to Newcastle and have slotted in 31-year-old Ryan Mason to guide the team through to the end of the campaign. The former Spurs player took the reins back in 2021 when the club had potted Jose Mourinho and he has the respect of the players.

Before Daniel Levy made the decision to sack Stellini he consulted with a committee of senior players including captain Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Eric Dier. This is the team previous boss Antonio Conte described as being selfish but, you know what, you sometimes get a reaction from a group of players who have just been hammered, and whether a new manager bounce is a real thing or not surely we will see some pride from these senior men when they face an old rival.

Can Spurs exploit Manchester injuries?

This may not be such a bad time to face Manchester United, who have been in indifferent form away from the Premier League, edging past Brighton in the FA Cup after being dumped out of the Europa League by Sevilla.The Red Devils were a little lucky to beat the Seagulls having been outplayed for much of the semi-final and looked a little lacklustre.

With first-choice centre-back pair Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane sidelined, they can be broken down more easily, as Sevilla proved, hammering the Red Devils 5-2 over two legs. And the form of midfield general Casemiro has not been the same since he returned from his four-match ban; if the Brazilian isn’t up to speed by Thursday then Hojbjerg could dictate the game from midfield. And, up front, teenage star Alejandro Garnacho is still recovering from an ankle injury so the Red Devils are without an impact sub, so they will hope Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho can build on their encouraging showing against Brighton.

History

Manchester United have won 44 of their 65 meetings with Tottenham, in the Premier League era, including the last four, winning 2-0 at Old Trafford as Bruno Fernades and Fred scored for the hosts.

On paper the Red Devils have been stronger in recent weeks, with four wins, a draw and a defeat while Spurs have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.

But the hosts are yet to draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, winning 11 and losing five of their matches on home soil.

Betting Tip

It must be galling for these two teams to watch their nearest rivals Manchester City and Arsenal, fight it out for the league title but that’s where we are. And both sets if fans will be hoping for a big display on Thursday.

At SBOTOP odds of 2.42 Manchester United are marginal favourites with Tottenham at a price of 2.62 and the draw is a 3.30. But if I were a Spurs supporter I would expect a response from their Sunday nightmare and the players have a real point to prove.

 

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