Tottenham Hotspur and their manager Roberto De Zerbi are in desperate need of a positive result when they face Manchester United after the extended international break.
Tottenham sit bottom of the Premier League table after a hugely underwhelming start to the season under the Italian, despite a huge summer transfer spend.
While all the new players need to gel together, the potential excuse of signings needing time to adapt to the English top flight can't even be used in this case, given all 10 of the new arrivals played in the Premier League last season.
De Zerbi and his Spurs team will sense an opportunity against United at Old Trafford, with Michael Carrick's men making a similarly disappointing start to the season and losing their last two home games.
Both teams need the three points but the Italian especially does, given the north London outfit's current standing and the fact that performances and results are no better than before he was appointed, despite having a full pre-season in charge.
Tottenham are already set to be without some key players for the trip north, including captain Pedro Porro and potentially Jan Paul van Hecke, after the Dutch defender withdrew from the Netherlands squad after picking up an injury.
That is a big blow considering the former Brighton defender has been picking up an understanding with Micky van de Ven at the heart of the backline, but Spurs can call upon either Marcos Senesi or Tosin Adarabioyo to replace him if his absence is confirmed.
Tottenham have also been boosted by the return of Dejan Kulusevski to first-team training in recent weeks, as the Sweden international closes in on his first appearance for the club since May 2025.
It remains to be seen when De Zerbi will decide to unleash the 26-year-old, but it is set to be in the next month as long as there are no further issues in training.
Spurs fans will be excited about seeing the Swede play again given how popular and impressive he has been in a white shirt previously, but De Zerbi also has another secret weapon up his sleeve who we could see unleashed this month too.
Mudryk Closing in on Tottenham Return
There were some eyebrows raised when Tottenham turned their attentions to Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk at the end of the summer transfer window, once it was clear they wouldn't be signing Cody Gakpo from Liverpool.
However, given Mudryk and De Zerbi worked together during the Italian's time in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk, and he tipped the winger as a future Ballon d'Or winner, it was a little less surprising, despite what's happened to the Ukraine international in recent seasons.
The 25-year-old made his first senior appearance since November 2024 when he came on as a late substitute in the goalless draw against Nottingham Forest last month, but days later he suffered an ankle injury that was set to keep him on the sidelines for anything up to eight weeks.
Mudryk is doing everything in London to return as quickly as possible, with well-connected Football London correspondent Alasdair Gold expecting him to return in one of their October matches.
Spurs have four fixtures between the trip to Old Trafford and October 31, with a return for the game against Crystal Palace on Halloween more likely.
While everyone is talking about Kulusevki and his return, De Zerby may have his own secret weapon in Mudryk.
He knows how to get the best out of the 25-year-old, with the player himself clearly having a big point to prove to everybody given how his career has gone in the last two years.
Tottenham are struggling in the final third with no Premier League goals for any of their attacking players so far this season, and there will be a hope that the Ukrainian star can use his pace and trickery out wide to make a real difference from an attacking sense.