Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United – Premier League Preview 2023/24: Where to watch, predicted lineups, team news
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United kicks off at 17:30 on Saturday evening. Both sides enter the clash with a point to prove following the opening weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs come into the second weekend of the Premier League following a fairly positive 2-2 draw with a strong Brentford side.
Ange Postegoglu took charge of his first competitive game against the Bees last weekend.
The Australian manager’s side took the lead early on after a headed goal by Christian Romero. The Argentinian defender was swiftly removed for precautionary reasons after a clash of heads.
Yet the Lilywhites saw themselves pegged back twice within 10 minutes after a Bryan Mbuemo penalty in the 26th minute. Followed by a Yoane Wissa goal in the 36th minute.
However, Emerson Royal’s beautiful strike from outside the box levelled the scoreline just before halftime.
Despite not gaining the three points Spurs can take positives from their performance. New signing James Maddison performed terrifically, assisting both goals. Maddison also ended the game with the captain’s armband.
New Captain Heung-Min Son had a relatively quiet game. Eventually, Son left the pitch in the 75th minute after his substitution.
The Harry Kane hangover may still yet impact Spurs, with a lack of prolific strikers potentially harming them against top teams.
Yet overall Spurs will come into this match up quietly confident they can sneak in three points against a slow-starting Man United team.
Predicted XI:
Vicario; Royal, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Skipp, Bissouma, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Richarlison
Manchester United
Despite starting the season with a win. Manchester United fans were left disappointed with the showing against Wolves on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
The Red Devils scraped past expected relegation battlers Wolves. In a 1-0 smash-and-grab win via a Raphael Varane header in the 76th minute.
Ten Hag’s side was extremely poor throughout the 90 minutes. The Dutch manager’s side were notably poor on the ball. The midfield looked disjointed with the trio of Mount, Fernandes, and Casemiro looking out of sync.
Along with this, the front three of Anthony, Garnacho and Rashford lacked any substance and looked particularly weak.
However, Anthony and Wan Bissaka look decent on an individual basis. With the latter attaining an assist for Varane’s goal.
Furthermore, new signing Andre Onana looked solid until his moment of madness. Whereby Onana can count himself lucky for not conceding an injury-time penalty. After a mistimed attempt to clear the ball, resulting in clattering a Wolves player.
Yet the Manchester United faithful are hopeful that Ten Hag’s side can improve against Spurs. With new players such as Mount and Onana settling into the Dutchman’s side.
The Red Devils may well still be without new signing Rasmus Hojlund. He has been pictured in training so whether he is fit enough for the bench we will have to wait and see.
Lisandro Martinez left the field during halftime. Varane confirmed this was due to a slight knock. This was likely more of a precautionary substitution after his previous season-ending injury in last year’s Europa League.
So Man United will be hoping to see a much-improved performance come Saturday evening. The Red Devils will be looking for a more unified and complete performance against Spurs.
Predicted XI:
Onana; Shaw, Martinez, Varane, Wan Bissaka; Mount, Fernandes, Casemiro; Rashford, Sancho, Anthony
Improvements are needed for both…but who takes the prize?
Spurs are at the start of their journey under Postecoglou. So, despite a positive opening weekend. Improvements and a Harry Kane shaped hole still lingers for the Spurs squad. Players such as Son and Richarlison will need to step up their game.
Yet an encouraging season opener will leave Spurs fans intrigued. Coming into the game with cautious optimism and a home crowd behind them.
Meanwhile, Man United need serious improvements from the opening weekend if they wish to achieve anything from this game.
A tighter defensive performance and greater discipline within the midfield are necessities for the game against Spurs. However, with a competitive game under their belts, expect greater unity and understanding.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United could go either way. Both sides will believe they can win come Saturday evening. However, a share of the spoils seems like a possible outcome.
Where to watch:
Score Prediction:
Tottenham Hotspurs 2-2 Manchester United
To stay up to date with all things football and sports, follow @DubSports and @_GeorgeBancroft.
