Tottenham Hotspur play host to Manchester United in the Premier League’s afternoon kick-off this Sunday, in what could be a game of huge significance to under-fire manager Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs headed into the weekend 14th in the Premier League with almost two-thirds of the season gone, and they have now crashed out of both domestic cup competitions, leaving the Australian under considerable pressure.
Sunday’s fixture offers Postecoglou’s side an opportunity to overtake a struggling Man Utd side, who have collected just two points more than the hosts, in what has been an extremely disappointing season.
Tottenham's 10 best victories against Man Utd
Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs side have plenty of inspiration to take from these previous Manchester United clashes.
ByBarney Lane Tottenham vs Man Utd team news
Tottenham
Tottenham have been in an injury crisis this season, which can be partially blamed for their disappointing campaign up to this point. Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero, Wilson Odobert, Radu Dragusin, Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner and Richarlison all remain unavailable, while Micky van de Ven is also likely to miss out again.
James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie are in contention to return, though, in a much-needed boost for Spurs.
Man Utd
Lisandro Martinez is set to be ruled out for the foreseeable future due to an ACL injury, joining fellow defenders Luke Shaw and Jonny Evans along with Mason Mount on the injury list.
Ruben Amorim was then hit with several pieces of bad news on Saturday afternoon, as Kobbie Mainoo is facing a few weeks out, Amad Diallo could miss the entire season with an ankle injury, while Toby Collyer and Manuel Ugarte are also doubts for Sunday.
Where to watch Tottenham vs Man Utd on TV
Viewers in the UK will be able to tune in on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and NOW TV, with kick-off scheduled for 4:30pm (GMT) on Sunday 16th February.
Tottenham vs Man Utd referee & VAR
The referee appointed for Sunday’s fixture is Peter Bankes, who will be assisted by Eddie Smart and Nick Greenhalgh. The fourth official in north London will be Michael Salisbury and, at Stockley Park, Paul Tierney is on VAR duty, assisted by Gary Beswick.
Games
11
7
Record
5W, 3D, 3L
3W, 0D, 4L
Cards received
24 Yellow, 0 Red
14 Yellow, 0 Red
Cards to opponents
29 Yellow, 2 Red
8 Yellow, 1 Red
Penalties for/against
1/1
1/0
Tottenham vs Man Utd form Tottenham
Consecutive defeats against Liverpool and Aston Villa have seen Spurs crash out of both domestic cup competitions, and given that they are just 14th in the Premier League table, there is seemingly a real threat Postecoglou could soon lose his job.
Results have been particularly poor since the turn of the year, suffering defeats against the likes of Leicester City and Everton, although the Lilywhites did manage to win their last league match, prevailing 2-0 away at Brentford.
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
Sun 9th Feb
Aston Villa (a)
FA Cup
L 2-1
Thu 6th Feb
Liverpool (a)
EFL Cup
L 4-0
Sun 2nd Feb
Brentford (a)
Premier League
W 0-2
Thur 30th Jan
Elfsborg (h)
Europa League
W 3-0
Sun 26th Jan
Leicester (h)
Premier League
L 1-2
Man Utd
Man Utd have also been extremely poor in the Premier League this season, and there is real danger they will record their lowest-ever finish since the competition began, having never previously finished below eighth.
The Red Devils lost 2-0 at home against Crystal Palace in their last league outing, but they may be able to take some confidence from winning their most recent game on the road, defeating Fulham 1-0, before beating Leicester City 2-1 at home in the FA Cup.
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
Fri 7th Feb
Leicester City (h)
Premier League
W 2-1
Sun 2nd Feb
Crystal Palace (h)
Premier League
L 0-2
Thu 30th Jan
FCSB (a)
Europa League
W 0-2
Sun 26th Jan
Fulham (a)
Premier League
W 0-1
Thu 23rd Jan
Rangers (h)
Europa League
W 2-1
Tottenham vs Man Utd head-to-head
Historically, Man Utd have a solid record against Tottenham, but results have been much more mixed in recent years, with the Red Devils failing to win in the last four matches between the two sides in all competitions.
Despite their injury woes, Spurs should be confident heading into Sunday’s game, given that they have already triumphed over United twice this season, most recently winning 4-3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the EFL Cup quarter-final.
Tottenham wins
56
Draws
51
Man Utd wins
96