MANCHESTER UNITED travel to the capital for a huge Premier League clash with Tottenham.
The two English giants have endured very poor seasons so far, and they both sit in the bottom half of the table ahead of kick off.
Pressure is mounting on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglu following Carabao Cup and FA Cup exits last week.
Elsewhere, Ruben Amorim is still struggling to find any consistency with his up and down Man Utd side.
- Kick off time: 4.30pm GMT
- TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League
- Live stream: NOW/Sky Sports app
- Tottenham team: Vicario, Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence, Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison, Kulusevski, Tel, Son
- Man Utd team: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu, Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Hojlund
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Follow our live blog below...
All change, please!
Injuries and poor form has meant that both Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim have rung the changes for this afternoon’s clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In fact, today’s meeting is the first Premier League game to see both teams make five or more alterations to their previous starting line-ups in the league since Chelsea versus Manchester City in May 2023.
Forwards start together again
The much-maligned pairing of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are set to start a Premier League game together for just the second time.
And the pair will be hoping for better fortune than the first occasion when Manchester United went down 2-0 at home to Newcastle, a match in which Zirkzee was subbed off after just 33 minutes.
Rival watch
Liverpool have beaten Wolves 2-1 despite a late scare.
Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah struck before half-time to give the Reds a 2-0 lead.
Salah had the ball in the net a third time after the break but was ruled offside.
Matheus Cunha then scored a screamer late on to set up a tense finale.
Wolves piled up on the pressure but were unable to find an equaliser at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s side move back to seven points clear at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Wolves remain on 19 points just above the relegation zone.
And importantly for Spurs and Man Utd, they remain eight and ten points behind respectively.
Spurs welcome back
It’s a high-five for Spurs as they welcome back five senior stars into their squad, three of which go straight into the starting XI.
Vicario and Maddison are both back in the starting XI.
Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson, and Destiny Udogie are back in the squad after being named on the bench.
Does Daniel Levy own Spurs and what is his net worth?
Daniel Levy is the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur.
He is the longest-serving chairman of any Premier League club, having taken over the role from Alan Sugar in 2001.
However, he has a far from ideal relationship with fans owing to the club’s poor performances and lack of silverware, with the North London club last winning a trophy in 2008 when they lifted the League Cup.
Things were looking up during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure with the club a regular name in the Champions League, even making the final before losing to Liverpool in 2019.
Levy oversaw the building of a brand-new, state-of-the-art, £1.2billion stadium, which has helped Spurs become a financial powerhouse.
Two more United stars sick
Leny Yoro and Christian Eriksen were taken sick today.
Talk about adding insult to injury for Amorim.
Man Utd name EIGHT kids on their bench
Man Utd have named EIGHT teenagers on their bench today.
Elyh Harrison, Harry Amass, Tyler Fredricson, Ayden Heaven, Jack Fletcher, Sekou Kone, Jack Moorhouse and Chido Obi are all named.
Seven of these stars are straight from the academy. And seven of them were also born AFTER the Glazers took control of the club.
Heaven does not count as academy after going straight into the first-team following his transfer from Arsenal earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof is the solo senior star, though he has only just returned from injury.
Line-ups
The line-ups are out.
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence, Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison, Kulusevski, Tel, Son
Man Utd: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu, Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Hojlund
More protest pictures
The back-drop of today’s game will undoubtedly be clouded by Tottenham fan’s protests outside the ground.
Their fury is mainly directed towards chairman Daniel Levy.
Read up on the Spurs chairman here.
Credit: PA Credit: PA Credit: PA Team walk
Tottenham stars were pictured walking around the pitch before kick-off.
Credit: Rex Alan Shearer prediction
Alan Shearer has given his say on how he reckons this fixture will go.
Speaking to Betfair, he said:
It’s a tough one to call. Man United had a good result in the FA Cup but I certainly wasn’t impressed with them.
Spurs were really weak against Aston Villa.
Two teams who have been massively struggling for different reasons. Because Spurs have beaten them already this season, I’ll go for a home win.
Alan Shearer
Head to head
Spurs have beaten United twice so far this season.
Once in a 3-0 demolition in the league at Old Trafford and then at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a 4-3 thriller in the League Cup quarter-finals.
The overall record is heavily in Man Utd’s favour with 96 wins in the history of the clash compared to Spurs’ 56, while there have also been 51 draws.
That being said, United have not beaten Spurs in any of the last five meetings, with Postecoglou being in charge of four of those clashes.
The aggregate score in the four meetings managed by Postecoglou is 11-5 in Spurs’ favour
The last time Man Utd won against Spurs was in October 2022, while the last time they won away was in October 2021.
Form guide
Tottenham – They have won five or their last six matches in all competitions.
Beating Brentford 2-0 in their last league game ended a run seven games without a win dating back to December 15.
They are searching for their first back-to-back wins in the league since September when they ironically beat Man Utd after beating Brentford.
Man Utd – Despite the negative atmosphere surrounding the club, United have won six of their last eight games in all competitions.
However, they have won only three of their last 10 league matches.
They are looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace, but won their last away clash in London against Fulham.
Spurs fans protest
Tottenham fans have launched a huge protest against the club’s owners and chairman today.
Spurs fan group Change For Tottenham have unveiled banners at the ground as they prepare to march before the game.
One of the banners reads: “24 Years, 16 Managers, 1 Trophy. Time For Change.”
Another reads: “We Want Our Club Back. Levy Out.”
Credit: X/@ChangeForSpurs Credit: X/@OMyles90
Carrington reinforcements
As many Man Utd bosses have been forced to do in the past, Amorim has turned to the Carrington Academy to bolster his thin senior squad.
Five youngsters – Sekou Kone, Harry Amass, Jack Moorhouse, Elyh Harrison and Chido Obi – have all travelled with the first team for the Premier League fixture.
With 11 stars now out injured, Amorim will be hoping the teenagers can provide an injection of energy to alleviate some of the pressure on the first team.
Spurs stars on the comeback
While Man Utd have been plunged into injury crisis, Spurs have been forced to deal with the consequences of injuries for most of the season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side has been devastated by a seemingly unending convertor belt of stars heading to the treatment room.
However, this week things finally seem to be looking up as Spurs are set to welcome back three key stars to their squad.
The Aussie revealed that Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and James Maddison were all fit enough to play a part in the fixture.
Meanwhile, Postecoglou also confirmed Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner had all returned to training this week, though it is currently unclear whether they will play any part.
Man Utd injury calamity
Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim said his squad had enjoyed a good week in training until they suffered some setbacks.
Yesterday it was revealed those setbacks were a QUADRUPLE injury blow to Amorim’s travelling squad today.
Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer were all reported to be doubtful for the game.
Meanwhile, Amad Diallo suffered a potentially season-ending injury further shorten the Red Devils options up front.
Good afternoon football fans
Welcome to SunSport’s live blog of Tottenham v Manchester United.
I’m Tony Robertson here to provide you with all the build-up for today’s clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Over the last decade clashes between these two sides have resulted in pivotal moments deciding on who makes European spots in the Premier League.
However, this season, both clubs are have fallen far away from those lofty heights.
Today’s 4.30pm clash sees Man Utd in 14th and hosts Tottenham in 15th.
We hope you will stick with us as we bring you all the latest news from the clash.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
