Tottenham Hotspur will be eager to bounce back to winning ways against a shaky Manchester United on Saturday.
The 2023/24 Premier League season is resuming on Friday with Gameweek 2, with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United kicking things off at City Ground. Saturday will witness five fixtures, with the penultimate match pitting Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur embarked on a new era under Ange Postecoglou in a familiar fashion. While the style of play has changed for the better, they began with a morale-sapping 2-2 stalemate with Brentford. But the Australian tactician will insist that the season-opening draw is only a blip on the road for the North London club.
On the other hand, Manchester United began the 2023/24 season with a nervy 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. And despite clinching three points, the game threw up many questions and doubts about the Red Devils. So Erik ten Hag will be eager to exorcise the demons of last term’s horrendous away record this weekend.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Tottenham Hotspur coming from two goals down to hold Manchester United to a 2-2 draw. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
🎙 “In terms of Cristian [Romero], he’s good to go. He’s been in the hands of the medical team just going through all the protocols… he’s ticked all the boxes.”
Ange gives an update on team news ahead of #TOTMUN at @SpursStadium tomorrow 🗣 pic.twitter.com/ztQnqd3U2i
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 18, 2023
Ange Postecoglou has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s first home game of the 2023/24 season. Against Manchester United on Saturday, the Tottenham Hotspur manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players.
The good news is that Cristian Romeo is available after recovering from a head injury he sustained last weekend. But Fraser Forster (back), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), and Bryan Gil (groin) remain on the sidelines. In addition, Tanguy Ndombele will unlikely feature against Manchester United.
Guglielmo Vicario has replaced Hugo Lloris as the new first-choice goalkeeper for Tottenham this season. And despite a sub-par start to life as a Tottenham player, he will retain his spot between the sticks. The home side will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him.
Emerson Royal was surprisingly one of the best performers for Tottenham last weekend. And the Brazilian international might be one of the players who find a second wind at the North London club under Postecoglou. Emerson will join Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie in the defensive unit.
Like Emerson, Yves Bissouma is seemingly resurrecting his career under Postecoglou. And the Mali international will provide solidity in the middle of the park while pushing his team forward quickly during transitions. He will link up with Oliver Skipp in the centre of the pitch.
Meanwhile, James Maddison has hit the ground running at Tottenham and will pull the strings in the final third. And the offensive trio in front of him will look to remain fluid, interchanging positions to thwart the Manchester United defence. But Richarlison will lead the line on paper, with Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski being the two wide men.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Emerson, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Skipp, Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Richarlison
Manchester United
Like his counterpart in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout, Erik ten Hag has greeted a positive update ahead of the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Manchester United manager will be without five first-team players on Saturday.
Tom Heaton (calf), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Kobbie Mainoo (ankle), Amad Diallo (knee), and Rasmus Hojlund (back) remain unavailable. But fortunately for the visiting team, Lisandro Martinez has shrugged off a minor ankle issue to be available this weekend.
Andre Onana was one of the best debutants in the Premier League in Gameweek 1. And he will look to make his mark again on Saturday, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of the Cameroonian goalkeeper.
Erik ten Hag confirms that Lisandro Martínez is fit to face Tottenham after going off at half-time against Wolves on Monday night. 🇦🇷✅ pic.twitter.com/rbeAPcQ2v2
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 18, 2023
The fit-again Martinez will retain his central defensive pairing with Raphael Varane, who delivered the three points against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. Meanwhile, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw should continue as the two full-backs.
Meanwhile, Mason Mount was sub-par against Wolverhampton Wanderers. And while Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay have cases to start on Saturday, Mount should retain his place. The English international will join Casemiro in the middle of the park.
Bruno Fernandes will reprise his usual no. 10 role, looking to run the show in the final third. And the offensive unit should remain largely unchanged, with Jadon Sancho being the only change. The Englishman should come in for Alejandro Garnacho, joining Antony and Marcus Rashford in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mount; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford
Key Stats
- Tottenham’s only victory in the last nine league meetings with Manchester United was a 6-1 away win in October 2020. The Red Devils have won twice and drawn twice at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Manchester United and Liverpool are the only clubs yet to lose a Premier League match there.
- Manchester United’s total of 39 wins in 62 Premier League matches against Tottenham is a joint record for the most victories against an opponent in the competition, matching their tally against Everton.
- Tottenham lost eight of the 10 matches last season against the teams that finished in the top five of the table, only picking up points in home matches versus the two Manchester clubs (1-0 vs Manchester City and 2-2 vs Manchester United).
- Manchester United have won their opening Premier League away match in just one of the last five seasons, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 in 2020. The Red Devils lost eight Premier League away matches in 2022/23, equalling a club record. But the solitary point they earned out of a possible 24 in games on the road last season against the teams that finished in the top nine came in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham.
- Tottenham have conceded at least twice in 21 of their 39 Premier League games since the start of last season, second only to Nottingham Forest, who have done so on 22 occasions.
- Manchester United have won just one of their last nine top-flight fixtures in London. They had avoided defeat in each of their previous 13 such games in the capital.
Player to Watch
Richarlison
Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford were two candidates for this spot after sub-par performances against Wolverhampton Wanderers. But we have gone with another player who was not up to the mark in Gameweek 1. The player in question is Richarlison.
The Brazilian international is Tottenham’s leading attacker for the time being following Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich. But he needs to show he deserves to remain the first-choice striker amid Tottenham’s links with several strikers. And the game against Manchester United will offer him to stamp his authority and convince Ange Postecoglou of his skills.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Manchester United
The two teams should match up evenly on Saturday, with both sides showing chinks in their armour in Gameweek 1. While Tottenham’s defence is vulnerable, Manchester United had a non-existent midfield in the season opener. So the match promises goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But the Red Devils have been poor travellers under Erik ten Hag. And after showing very few promising signs of their finishing abilities, the visitors are in trouble. Tottenham should pounce on the weaknesses shown by Manchester United. And The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought contest ending in a narrow 2-1 win for the home side.
