Manchester United vs Tottenham
England Premier League.
Date: Sunday, 11th December, 2016.
Kick-Off: 14:15 UK
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester.
United were convincing 2-0 winners on Thursday night in their Europa League tie in the Ukraine, and the Red’s focus now turns to the domestic competition once more.
A win for the Red Devils will see them remain in sixth place, however it will reduce the gap between themselves and their opponents to three points.
But world-record signing Paul Pogba wants United to go a lot further than that.
Speaking to MUTV, the Frenchman said: “We just want to win the game and go top of the league”.
Manager jose Mourinho has also commented that his attackers need to deliver more goals; with the manager including Wayne Rooney on that list.
The Portuguese manager said: “We expect more goals from him (Wayne Rooney), but we expect more goals from everyone in the team”.
Rooney also has a personal reason to contribute more, as he is one goal away from equaling Sir Bobby Charlton’s record as Manchester United all time top goal scorer, with 249 goals in all competitions.
Another caveat in United’s arsenal is that Spurs have lost 19 times at Old Trafford in the Premier League, their most defeats at an away ground, and have not won there since 2014.
In terms of the teams, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw remain out for the hosts, with Mourinho confirming Smalling will not return until the new year.
However, Eric Bailly looks set to start after playing in the Europa League fixture against Zorya Luhansk on Thursday evening.
Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia are also in contention, after being rested for the trip to Ukraine.
Spurs will welcome back defender Toby Alderweireld, after he made his return from a knee injury against CSKA Moscow.
However, Ben Davies and Vincent Janssen are out.
Manchester United vs Tottenham: Head to Head Statistics
The Red Devils record against Spurs is alarming, they have twice more than Spurs in their previous 154 meetings. United have won 80 games against Spurs, while Spurs have won 35 games with the remaining 39 drawn. At Old Trafford, United are superior with 56 wins over Spurs who have won 11 times. Their last 5 meetings have been shared equally, with 2 wins each to both teams and a draw.
Manchester United vs Tottenham: Prediction
The game will surely be a tough one with the two teams being in top form. However, the home team may be plagued with fatigue as they just returned from a trip to Ukraine. We expect United to play more defensively and Tottenham to be the attacking team despite being the visiting side. Also the game is expected to feature few goals in it and a narrow win for the home side.
Manchester United vs Tottenham: Bet Tips
Manchester United to win at 2.25
Under 2.5 goals at 1.80.
