Tonight witnesses a crucial Premier League fixture at White Hart Lane, as second-placed Tottenham Hotspur take on fifth-placed Manchester United. While the home side are looking to reduce a 7-point gap between themselves and leaders Leicester City, their guests are looking to keep the race for the top four wide open.
Both the teams’ ambitions are exact swaps from around three seasons back when Spurs used to be the ones fighting for a spot in the Champions League while United would be involved in a title challenge.
Whoever emerges out of this game with maximum points will have taken a big step towards achieving their respective target, but who will that team be? Will Pochettino’s attacking philosophy prevail over Louis van Gaal’s patient build-up tactics? The answers will be provided tonight.
Kick-Off and Live Telecast
Channel : StarSports 2, StarSports 2 HD
Live Stream: www.starsports.com
Kick-Off: Sunday, 10 April – 20.30 IST (16.00 BST)
Venue: White Hart Lane, London
Team News
Tottenham fans will rejoice at the return of centre-back Jan Vertonghen to training after missing three months due to a knee injury. Erik Lamela also returns after missing last Saturday’s draw against Liverpool due to a knock.
Manchester United centre-back Daley Blind is a minor doubt with a knock while Ashley Young and Phil Jones are both declared fit. Wayne Rooney and Luke Shaw have returned to training but this game comes too soon for either of them.
Team Form
Tottenham were pegged back in their race for their first Premier League title after they could only draw against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield – Harry Kane’s beautiful finish cancelled out Philippe Coutinho’s opener last Saturday.
That result, coupled with Leicester’s victory over Southampton, means that Spurs enter this match week with a seven-point deficit off Claudio Ranieri’s men. With Leicester playing Sunderland at the Stadium of Light before Spurs kick off, that gap could widen to 10 points – putting all the more pressure on Mauricio Pochettino’s men to pull off a positive result against Manchester United.
While the defence has been solid and Harry Kane’s form out of this world, Pochettino’s tendency to keep experimenting with several of his midfielder’s positions every game seems to be unsettling some of the players' rhythm.
Sometimes the players are not sure themselves what their best playing positions are, affecting their chance creation despite some slick ball movement. Giving the players a preset role on the pitch will definitely help them click as a team and do the job against an in-form Manchester United.
Last 5 games (All competitions): D-W-L-W-L (Most recent: Liverpool 1-1 Tottenham)
Manchester United come into this game on the back of a 1-0 win over Everton in a game that didn’t give the fans too much to gossip about. Only with the introduction of young Tim Fosu-Mensah at half-time did United’s game really open up.
If the rustiness from the international break was an excuse last week, there can be no excuses in the event of a non-performance against high-flying Spurs, who have lit up the Premier League with some eye-catching performances.
They will have to move the ball quickly if they want to break the Spurs defence – who will only be too happy to defend a possession-minded United. With Daley Blind doubtful for Sunday, Chris Smalling must take up the job of keeping countryman Harry Kane at bay as he looks to add to his tally of 22 league goals this season.
Can the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard unsettle the Spurs’ back four? Will United’s defensive midfield be able to impede Spurs’ domination at the heart of the pitch?
Last 5 games (All competitions): W-W-D-D-L (Most recent: Manchester United 1-0 Everton)
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Key Stats
Head-to-Head
- Spurs last win over Manchester United at White Hart Lane was nearly 15 years ago when Willem Korsten (2) and Les Ferdinand netted to give them a 3-1 victory over Sir Alex’s side.
- The last three fixtures between the two teams at White Hart Lane have all ended in draws.
- Spurs have not scored against Louis van Gaal’s side during his time at Manchester United.
Tottenham Hotspur
- Spurs have won just two of their last 5 league games (L1, D2)
- Harry Kane is now Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer in a single Premier League season with 22 goals.
- Tottenham boast the best league defence with just 25 goals conceded. Their opponents are second on that list (27).
Manchester United
- Manchester United have won 4 out of their last 5 league games(L1) – each of them by a single goal and three of them by a scoreline of 1-0.
- However, they have won just 2 out of their last 9 away fixtures (L4, D3).
- United have lost just once in seven games against teams currently in the top six – a 3-0 defeat to third-placed Arsenal. Ironically, they have won just twice in seven fixtures against clubs currently in the bottom five. (D3, L2)
Key Battle
Kyle Walker vs Anthony Martial
Kyle Walker – usually very quick down the flanks – will be eager to see if he has the capability to match the fleet-footed Anthony Martial on Sunday. The 20-year-old Frenchman already looks to be part of United’s future crop of star players thanks to some brilliant solo displays on the ball in his first season at Old Trafford.
The duel between him and Walker will be pivotal in deciding the result of what promises to be an exciting clash.
Prediction
Tottenham 1-1 Manchester United
Spurs’ recent inconsistency and United’s uninspiring win against Everton leads one to feel that a draw is on the cards at White Hart Lane. It is a result which doesn’t help either team in their quest to achieve respective targets, but at least a point is better than nothing.
