Tottenham face Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday
Tottenham Hotspur welcome Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in the Premier League.
Both the clubs have had really underwhelming Premier League campaigns thus far. Spurs are 14th in the table after 24 games, amassing 27 points, while Man United are just a place above with two points more on the board.
The pressure on Ange Postecoglou has intensified following back-to-back eliminations from domestic cup competitions last week. The Greek-Australian tactician’s side were smashed 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield in the return leg of the Carabao Cup before being dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park.
Ange Postecoglou will expect a rousing response from his boys after the disappointing losses in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. Now, BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has dropped his prediction ahead of the big game in north London. He has questioned whether Tottenham’s returning players for injury problems will be fit enough to face Man United.
Tottenham face Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur star Guglielmo Vicario is fit and available to face Man United on Sunday
“Trying to call this is a bit like a game I used to play with my kids, poker dice, where you roll five dice and it is completely random what you end up with,” Chris Sutton told BBC Sport.
“This is the first time I have so little idea of what to expect from both sides that I actually think I need to make two predictions, rather than one. I can guarantee you this, though. Whatever result I go for, it will end up being the opposite of what actually happens.
“Tottenham demolished Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in September but that does not really have any bearing here. Spurs are getting players back from injury and Timo Werner, James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario are among those training again, but how fit are they going to be for this game?
“Ange Postecoglou says his players are out on their feet and we could see that in their FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa, so a lot depends on how much they have left in the tank.
“I still have a sneaky feeling they [Man United] might edge this game but I cannot really tell you what I am basing that on. This is a big game for Ange too, now his side are out of both domestic cups, but I am going with United, just.”
Sutton’s admission that he is making his prediction based on instinct rather than solid reasoning says a lot about the state of both teams. Manchester United have been just as unreliable, and if Tottenham seize the upper hand, it could be a long night for the Red Devils. We certainly hope that is the case.
Tottenham face Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Tottenham boss Big Ange has been boosted with the return of several key stars to training earlier this week
Both teams have been wildly inconsistent this season, and that’s reflected in their respective league positions. Spurs ended their seven-game winless run in the Premier League with a 2-0 away success at Brentford at the start of February. The Big Ange-managed side’ saving grace this Sunday could be the opponents they face.
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The Lilywhites are unbeaten in their last five clashes across all competitions against Man United. In fact, we have already beaten the Red Devils twice this season, away in the league and at home in the Carabao Cup—scoring seven goals in the process. Plus, Big Ange has received positive news on the injury front ahead of the game, with the likes of Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner all returning to team training earlier this week.
A victory over Ruben Amorim’s side cannot be overstated as we need to turn our woeful around and climb the table quickly. A place in the Champions League is realistically out of Spurs’ reach which they would have been targeting before the season began, but a win against United could see them rise to 12th.