Man Utd host Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday hoping to get back on track after their surprise defeat at Huddersfield Town last time out.
The Red Devils bounced back in midweek in the League Cup with a win over Swansea City, but they can’t afford another slip-up here as they already sit five points adrift of leaders Man City.
Further, a loss against Spurs would see Mauricio Pochettino’s side leapfrog them in the standings, and so there is plenty on the line as always for Jose Mourinho and his squad.
As for the visitors, the midweek disappointment against West Ham ended an impressive 11-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, but they’re still going well in the league.
The 4-1 win over Liverpool last time out was their fourth consecutive victory in the Premier League, and they’ll be hoping to keep that run going with what would be a huge statement win at Old Trafford.
Team news:
Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are expected to be available after recovering from injury, as per BBC Sport, but Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Michael Carrick remain sidelined.
For Tottenham, they were dealt the huge blow this week with news that Harry Kane will miss out as he picked up a hamstring strain against Liverpool. Victor Wanyama joins him on the sidelines.
Probable line-ups:
Man Utd: De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Bailly, Young; Matic, Herrera; Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Lukaku.
Tottenham: Lloris; Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen; Trippier, Dier, Winks, Davies; Eriksen, Son, Alli.
Prediction:
Man Utd 2-2 Tottenham. As they’ve shown already this season, Spurs have no problem with playing their game against top sides and will take it to United to get an early footing in the showdown. Expect the visitors to take a lead at Old Trafford, but Mourinho’s men will mount a fightback and the spoils will be shared on this occasion.
Romelu Lukaku has been heavily criticised for his lack of goals against the top six sides in the Premier League for a number of years, but this could be the time to now finally deliver.