Certain games do not so much define seasons as provide invaluable barometers as to how a side is faring. For Tottenham, there’s the North London Derby, Chelsea and, of course, any game against Chelsea. Manchester United at home is such a game.
What doesn’t help is a packed physio room. Tottenham boasts the league’s longest injury list with 10 players sidelined, including key attackers James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke, plus midfield anchors like Yves Bissouma and Archie Gray.
United, by contrast, has near-full fitness, with only Lisandro Martínez a minor doubt.
The consequences of having very little offensive impact
This has undoubtedly hampered Tottenham’s creativity, Spurs averaging just 9.7 shots per game, their lowest in a Premier League campaign since 1997-98, and left them toothless in a recent 1-0 loss to Chelsea (xG of 0.1, which so far is the season’s lowest).
Can United turn it around?
Manchester United are winless in their last seven meetings with Tottenham across all competitions (D2, L5), including a humiliating 1-0 Europa League final defeat in May and a 4-3 Carabao Cup thriller last season.
A United comeback on the cards?
Spurs completed the league double over United last year and are eyeing three straight top-flight wins against them for the first time since 1959-60. Amorim, fresh off an October Manager of the Month nomination, desperately needs a statement win to shake off this “bogey team” tag.
United lead the league with 153 shots (54 on target) and have 66.7% from inside the box—their highest ratio since 2012-13, fuelled by Bruno Fernandes, who could extend his assist streak to three straight away games for the first time since 2020.
A road to redemption on the cards?
A win catapults either side toward the top three (Liverpool currently leads on 18 points). For Tottenham, it’s redemption after a midweek Champions League bounce-back (4-0 vs. Copenhagen); for United, it’s proof of Amorim’s project taking root after a rocky start.