Manchester United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford on Sunday, with both sides looking to improve on their shaky starts to the 2020/21 Premier League season.
The Red Devils kicked off their campaign with a disappointing 3-1 defeats to Crystal Palace. New signing Donny van de Beek scored a late consolation goal, but the damage had already been done.
United bounced back with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Luton in the EFL Cup but were pushed all the way by Brighton in their second league game of the season.
The Seagulls enjoyed the majority of possession and bombarded David de Gea’s goal with countless shots, but following a VAR review after the final whistle, Bruno Fernandes scored a 100th-minute penalty to seal a 3-2 win.
In midweek, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side found things a lot easier against Brighton in the EFL Cup, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 3-0 win.
Man Utd have looked dangerous in attack, but Solskjaer must sort out his team’s defensive problems if they are to challenge for a top-four spot this term.
Meanwhile, Tottenham began with a 1-0 defeat to Everton but bounced back with a 5-2 thrashing of Southampton on Matchday 4.
Son Heung-min netted four goals at St. Mary’s, with Harry Kane assisting all four. The England striker also grabbed a goal of his own late on.
Spurs appeared to be heading for back-to-back victories, but late VAR drama in their previous game saw Newcastle snatch a 1-1 last weekend.
Like Man Utd, Tottenham don’t seem to have any issue going forward. But it is no secret that Jose Mourinho’s backline is in need of reinforcements.
Head-to-head: Man Utd were unbeaten against Spurs last term, winning 2-1 at home before drawing 1-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In fact, United have only lost one of their last five games against Spurs in all competitions, with Tottenham’s last victory in this fixture coming back in 2018.
Team news: Phil Jones remains a long-term absentee for Man Utd, although Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes are expected to be fit after picking up slight knocks.
As for Tottenham, Son is likely to miss out with a knee injury this weekend, while Gareth Bale’s long-awaited return is expected to come after the international break.
With both sides comfortable in attack but lacking defensive solidity, this game is likely to produce plenty of goals.
Forebet predicts that Man Utd and Spurs will play out a high-scoring draw on Sunday, with both teams netting over 1.5 goals.