Tottenham Hotspur are back on the right track after claiming three wins in a row in all competitions, and will be eager to keep this up against Manchester United.
Ange Postecoglou’s charges made amends for their North London defeat by recording a 2-1 win over Coventry City last week to edge into the fourth round of the League Cup.
Tottenham then ran out 3-1 winners over Brentford in the Premier League before then defeating Qarabag 3-0 in their Europa League opener.
Admittedly, Spurs didn’t exactly cruise to victory in all those games. They claimed victory from the jaws of defeat against Coventry, conceded really early on against Brentford, and the win over Qarabag was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggested.
Nevertheless, the best teams know how to pull it out of the bag despite not playing at the best, and can do so despite setbacks, which is exactly what Tottenham have done.
Now, Spurs will head to Old Trafford on Sunday for a kick-off scheduled for 4:30pm BST.
The Spurs News has rounded up what some of England’s top pundits have predicted in terms of Sunday’s match between Tottenham and Man United.
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer reckons Tottenham and Man United will both score en route to a draw, though he did not predict a scoreline.
“This is a huge game in terms of the top four,” he wrote on Metro.
“Both teams haven’t had the start they wanted albeit Spurs won last weekend, it’s a really tough one to call. Both teams aren’t in great form. It won’t be a great result for either team but I can see this being a draw.
“My guess is that (Marcus Rashford) will be back in the team this week and if he can take the form from the last two games, he’ll be a key figure in what happens for Man United. He always is.
“Spurs have players that can hurt United. James Maddison is a top player… he’ll play a huge part, absolutely.
“If Spurs do get into those positions and turn chances into goals then it’ll be tough for Man United as well because they do give you chances and that’s why I see it being a score draw.
Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton, writing on BBC Sport, predicted a 2-1 loss for Tottenham, but he did so without much confidence.
“My first thought was that I fancy Manchester United to win this but, the more I think about it, the less likely that seems,” wrote Sutton.
“United made heavy weather of their Europa League draw with FC Twente on Wednesday, with a performance that was very uninspiring.
“Mind you, we need to see more from Spurs in the final third too, so I am going to stick with my instincts and go for a United win. Let me explain why.
“In my opinion, United cannot beat Spurs by going toe-to-toe with them, but there is an argument that Tottenham’s playing style will suit Erik ten Hag, because it is in these sort of games where Ten Hag’s counter-attack football works best.
“I am not exactly confident they will beat Spurs though. What worries me most about tipping United is what happens in the centre of the park. Are United going to rely on Christian Eriksen again, against his former club? A great player, but does he have the legs?”
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Paul Merson
Paul Merson, writing on Sportskeeda, backed Tottenham to play out a thrilling 2-2 draw with the Red Devils.
“This is a huge game for both teams,” he began.
“Tottenham play a dangerous high line and Manchester United are not great at the back, so it’s a very open football match. I expect there will be loads of goals in this one too.
“Spurs have been alright this season. Against Arsenal, the quality of set-pieces were the only difference between them.
“But they should’ve beaten both Newcastle and Leicester, if they don’t win these type of games, it starts to look a bit Spursy!
“As things stand, there’s not a lot of problems with them. But if they lose this game, they are the team with the fourth-best chance of finishing fourth.”
Ian Wright
Ian Wright, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, backed Erik ten Hag’s side to claim a narrow victory over Tottenham.
He simply said: “I think United will beat them. Let’s go 2-1.”
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