Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

At the Tottenham stadium, Saturday, 5.30pm

After the last couple of weeks, we could do with something positive, yes, I know we beat the Arab nations favourite football team (Newcastle) and Burnley – two teams that are struggling at the bottom – but we were humiliated by Vitesse in Holland and the Spammers at their Meccano set stadium. Now we will play a team that wants revenge after being humiliated on their own turf by Liverpool. Manchester United will be bidding to bounce back from that humiliation when they travel to our stadium. As everybody knows, the red cockroaches suffered a 5-0 home loss to their bitter rivals in the Premier League last Sunday, while we were also beaten on the same afternoon, going down 1-0 at the home of the bubble blowers. But we didn't concede four extra goals at our stadium by a team made famous by Gerry Marsden's song Fairies across the Mersey.

So, who is going to win? Personally, you could just as quickly throw a coin in the air and see which way it will land; in other words, this match can go any way. But let us hope it is our way… as Frank Sinatra said, he did it his way; we should do it our way… so, what do you think, Nuno? Or maybe we should ask Hardy's partner, Ollie?

As I said, we suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Vitesse and the spammers in the Europa Conference League and Premier League respectively on October 21 and October 24, but we were able to return to winning ways – of sorts - on Wednesday, by recording a 1-0 victory over Burnley to advance to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. But this was Burnley, not a top team challenging to lift the League Cup trophy, say, like City… oh, yes, they got knocked out by the Spammers on penalties… but then again, this is only the league cup and not the Champions League.  We have won five and lost four of our nine league games to collect 15 points, which has left us in sixth position, two points from fourth-placed West Ham, but above United (well, that is something to smile about… not much, but a little!).

Man United lost their long unbeaten away league record against Leicester on October 16. Nevertheless, they have enjoyed good wins against us in the past, winning 36 of their previous 58 Premier League games, suffering just 10 defeats in the process.

Team News

Spurs

We will be without the services of Ryan Sessegnon due to a long-term hamstring problem, while Bryan Gil is unlikely to be available, having picked up a thigh issue against Burnley. We also have other injury concerns and could decide to select the same team that took to the field for the Spammers.

 

Kane and Son will feature, while Lucas Moura and Tanguy Ndombele should also feature from the first whistle, with Oliver Skipp lining up in midfield. Giovani Lo Celso and Steven Bergwijn are perhaps the two players pushing hardest to break into the first XI.

Man United

Will be without the services of Paul Pogba through suspension, with him, receiving a straight red card after coming on as a substitute against Liverpool. However, they could be boosted by the return of Raphael Varane, and Anthony Martial and Amad Diallo will also hope to be in the squad.

Solskjaer is unlikely to make changes from the Liverpool loss, but Nemanja Matic could come into the midfield, while Jadon Sancho might be on the right, with Mason Greenwood dropping out. Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard are both options for change.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

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Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

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Manchester United Premier League form:

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Manchester United form (all competitions):

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My starting lineup:

Lloris; Emerson, Romero, Dier, Reguilon; Skipp, Hojbjerg; Lucas, Ndombele, Son; Kane

And possibly for United:

De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, Fred; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Ronaldo

Thoughts

We certainly haven't shown consistency this season. Still, we did manage to record league wins over Villa and the Arab's nation Newcastle guardians of all things moral before the one-goal reverse at the spammers ground.

We also mustn't forget that we've only scored nine times in our nine league games, while Harry seems to be all over the place and has lost his consistency.

As for us against United, we have only won one of our last five Premier League games against them.

My prediction; again, depending on what teams turn up, it could go either way, but I am hoping that a better Spurs side will turn up over a poor United one. So I will go for a 4-1 win to us.

At the moment, watching Tottenham I like an episode of the Twlight Zone. 

"It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."

They may call it the twilight zone, we Spurs fans call it Tottenham

I am taking my friend Mel to Premium (he is a season ticket holder, normally sitting in the East stand), so he'll see how the other half live. It will be an interesting day, all around.

Be safe, Glenn

COYS!