MANCHESTER UNITED travel to Tottenham on Saturday night looking to continue their winning start to the Premier League season – and vastly improve their performance.
The Red Devils were fortunate to come away with a tight 1-0 win over Wolves in their Monday night opener.
Man Utd beat Wolves thanks to Raphael Varane’s late headerRichard Pelham / The Sun
GettyEmerson Royal scored to make it 2-2 in Spurs’ clash with Brentford[/caption]
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Raphael Varane scored the game’s only goal as Wolves were controversially denied a 95th-minute penalty by VAR.
But United secured all three points regardless and Erik ten Hag will be hoping they can do the same against Tottenham on Saturday evening.
Spurs drew 2-2 to Brentford in their first game of the season without Harry Kane, who left to join Bayern Munich last week.
James Maddison proved to be a shrewd buy, picking up two assists on his debut for Ange Postecoglou’s men.
But Brentford were brilliant on the day and came away with a point thanks to goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa.
The North Londoners will be in front of a home crowd as they welcome United and will be hoping it will aid them in their quest for their first win of the season.
Despite Postecoglou only being in charge of the club for just over a month, he seems to have already been able to implement his style of play.
Tottenham were an attacking force against Brentford, registering 18 shots and dominating possession throughout the game.
But it won’t be an easy task up against United with the Lilywhites unable to get the better of the Manchester club in their last five attempts.
As for Ten Hag, he’ll be trying to ensure that his side can put in a better and more controlled performance than they managed against Wolves.
There are high expectations of United this season after their third place finish last term and a statement win over a “Big Six” rival could kickstart their push for a first league title in ten years.
What is their form like?
Tottenham are hard to comment on with such a new look style of football and the absence of their former star man, Harry Kane.
But they look to be on an upwards trajectory under Postecoglou and an encouraging performance away against a tough Brentford side will give them confidence going into Saturday’s game.
Manchester United had a mixed bag in pre-season with three losses, four wins and one draw.
And despite winning their Premier League opener against Wolves, many fans were concerned with their performance and thought they could have easily lost the game.
What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?
Rasmus Hojlund remains out for United as he picked up a back injury in pre-season with Atalanta before moving to Old Trafford.
Lisandro Martinez was hooked at half time during the Wolves game following a slight injury and could be a doubt for Saturday’s clash.
Spurs should more or less remain unchanged but there is concern for Christian Romero, who came off in the draw with Brentford with a head injury.
Should he miss out he will join Bryan Gil (groin), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) and Fraser Forster (back) on the sidelines.
AlamyCristian Romero was substituted after picking up a head injury against Brentford[/caption]
Who will be the star men?
Marcus Rashford was Man United’s star man last season and up against a committed Tottenham attack he could certainly make the most of his blistering pace to catch them on the counter attack.
Tottenham will be looking to James Maddison to make things happen after he registered two assists on his Spurs debut.
Maddison himself will be hoping to impress in front of the fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time.
What have the managers said?
Erik ten Hag was unhappy with his frontline against Wolves and spoke out about what went wrong.
Following the 1-0 victory he said: “I think the frontline was not in the best form today and we could have made more out of it from the overload situations.
“Last week, we scored some incredible goals. This week, it’s the form of the day and we didn’t, but it will come.”
Ange Postecoglou has been talking up new signing Micky van de Ven ahead of his battle with the United attack, despite claiming he isn’t even at full fitness yet.
Speaking following Spurs’ draw with Brentford, he said: “Micky is probably not at the fitness level he wants to be but we just felt that we hold him in really high regard and the quicker we throw him in there the quicker he’ll adjust to being a Premier League footballer.”
SunSport prediction
Tottenham look like they’re going to try and blow teams away offensively this season under Postecoglou’s regime.
But committing too many men forward could open the door for Man United’s counter attacks to catch out the Spurs back line.
The likes of Richarlison and Heung-min Son will have to be on their game to convert the chances Spurs do create if they’re to get all three points.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United
When is Tottenham vs Man Utd?
Tottenham’s clash with United will take place on Saturday, August 19. The game will kick-off at 5.30pm BST. Spurs vs United will be held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
Tottenham vs Man Utd will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football in the UK. You can live stream the action from the NOW TV or Sky Go apps, both of which are available for download on to your mobile or tablet device.
Odds
Tottenham – 15/5Draw – 5/2Man Utd – 27/20
*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and correct at time of publication.