Can Erik ten Hag’s side establish some consistency on home soil? Or will Ange Postecoglou’s men continue their ascent of the standings?
Sunday’s late kick-off in the Premier League sees Manchester United entertain Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Let's go, @TimoWerner! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ohr2gHdaOo— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 9, 2024
Let's go, @TimoWerner! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ohr2gHdaOo
As we head into Matchday 21, the two sides are separated by eight points in the table, with eighth-placed Man Utd trailing fifth-placed Tottenham.
Man Utd avoided an FA Cup upset by defeating League One side Wigan Athletic 2-0 last time out, courtesy of goals from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.
However, that was only United’s second victory in seven matches across all competitions, with four defeats coming during that period.
The Red Devils have been wildly inconsistent in the Premier League of late, recording four wins and four losses in their previous eight home games.
It is also worth noting that United have drawn the fewest games this season, with only one of their 20 league matches ending in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, Tottenham joined Man Utd in the fourth round of the FA Cup by claiming a 1-0 victory over Burnley last time out, with Pedro Porro scoring the winner.
Spurs have now won five of their previous six matches across all competitions, scoring 14 goals in the process (2.3 goals per game).
Postecoglou’s men have enjoyed plenty of success on the road in recent times, losing just two of their last 12 away games across all competitions.
Having scored at least one goal in each of their previous 34 encounters, Tottenham will almost certainly find the back of the net at Old Trafford.
Head-to-head: In the reverse fixture back in August, Spurs claimed a 2-0 victory over Man Utd, despite the Red Devils racking up 22 shots in the capital.
That said, Tottenham have managed to win just one of their previous six Premier League meetings with United, suffering four straight defeats between 2021 and 2022.
Team news: Man Utd’s injury list contains Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof. Elsewhere, Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat are on AFCON duty.
Tottenham trio Son Heung-min, Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma are also on international duty, while James Maddison, Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon remain sidelined through injury.
When you combine Man Utd’s iffy home record with Tottenham’s strong form on the road, all the signs point towards an away win on Sunday.
Forebet predicts that Man Utd and Spurs will combine for over 3.5 goals, with the visitors outscoring the hosts to claim all three points.