Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Old Trafford sets the stage for a mouth-watering Premier League showdown between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

When it seemed like Manchester United could finally build a head of steam under Erik ten Hag, another disaster struck. After a tepid 0-0 league draw at Crystal Palace last weekend, United failed to live up to their favorite tag in a gut-wrenching 1-1 home draw against Twente in their Europa League opener. With the pressure mounting on the Dutch manager, the Red Devils return to Old Trafford, where they’ve won less than 50% of their last 19 Premier League outings (W9, D3, L7). Consistency has been United’s issue, as witnessed by their perfectly split record across their previous 15 top-flight matches (W5, D5, L5). However, 24 home victories against upcoming rivals Tottenham in the Premier League suggest Man Utd could turn their fortunes around this weekend.

In the meantime, Tottenham defied Radu Dragusin’s early expulsion to dismantle Qarabag 3-0 in midweek Europa League action, piling more confidence after a 3-1 comeback triumph against crosstown rivals Brentford last weekend. Ange Postecoglou’s men have blown hot and cold at the start of the new Premier League campaign (W2, D1, L2), picking up just one point on two league travels thus far. That’s a feeling they’ve become all too familiar with, considering they’ve only amassed 14 points from their last 15 top-flight matches outside their home stadium (W3, D5, L7). If they can defy that record with a first league win at Old Trafford since October 2020, Spurs would string together four consecutive victories in all competitions for the first time since last October.