After defeating Brighton & Hove Albion in the F.A Cup semi-final, Manchester United will take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
Erik ten Hag’s side are currently fourth in the table with 59 points from 30 games, five points ahead of fifth-placed Aston Villa with three games in hand. So, victory in this encounter means United will place themselves in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League next season.
On the other hand, following a mortifying 6-1 rinsing against Newcastle United, Tottenham are currently low in confidence ahead of this fixture. After that result, Spurs have decided to dismiss caretaker manager Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason has been handed the responsibility to see out the rest of the season as interim boss.
Tottenham will be desperate to return to winning ways under Mason by defeating Man Utd in order to keep their hopes of finishing in the top four alive. So, United will have to be at their best to come away with all three points from this fixture.
Expected Man Utd line-up vs Tottenham
Erik ten Hag is unlikely to change his back five from the last game against Brighton. So, David de Gea is set to keep hold of his place in United’s goal and in front of the Spaniard, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot should continue.
Harry Maguire was unavailable in the F.A Cup game due to suspension and is set to return tomorrow but, he will have to settle for a place on the bench. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez remain sidelined due to injury issues.
Casemiro should continue at the heart of Man United’s engine room alongside Christian Eriksen. Bruno Fernandes limped off in the second half against Brighton after sustaining an ankle issue and Ten Hag has said that the Portuguese is a doubt ahead of this game.
So, if he can’t recover in time then Marcel Sabitzer could complete the midfield three for United, in that case, Fred will find himself on the bench. Scott McTominay may remain sidelined along with Donny van de Beek due to injury problems.
Marcus Rashford is likely to keep hold of his place on the left wing and Antony should be on the opposite flank, starting Anthony Martial through the middle. So, Facundo Pellistri, Anthony Elanga and Wout Weghorst will be among the Man Utd substitutes tomorrow. Alejandro Garnacho has stepped up his recovery to return to full fitness but he is set to remain sidelined for the upcoming few more weeks.
