JAKARTA - Manchester United is looking for a fourth victory when they return to face the elite English Premier League team, Tottenham Hotspur, who are struggling to get out of the bottom zone. The match at Man Utd's home at Old Trafford Stadium, Saturday, February 7, 2026 WIB, is the key that they show a revival.
Interim manager Michael Carrick is back in the spotlight. After achieving positive results in the first three matches, Carrick who replaced Ruben Amorim got an equally tough test.
Yes, Tottenham is definitely not an easy opponent and could be a barrier for Man Utd who are trying to maintain their positive trend. The match which was held at lunch time or afternoon local time was more on strengthening the mental and confidence of Bruno Fernandes et al.
If they win this will be a kind of confirmation that Man Utd has fully recovered and at the same time increases their hopes of returning to the Champions League next season.
The competition for tickets to the European competition is very tight. Man Utd who has 41 points faces serious challengers Chelsea and Liverpool. The reason is that Man Utd is only one point ahead of Chelsea. Meanwhile, Liverpool who is ranked sixth has 39 points.
If they win the fourth victory, Man Utd not only keeps the points gap with Chelsea and Liverpool but can also approach Aston Villa who are in third place with 46 points.
Carrick himself has passed the challenge by defeating Manchester City 2-0 and then surprising Arsenal. Playing at Arsenal's home at the Emirates, the Red Devils who were not favored won 3-2.
Man Utd also managed to overcome the mental pressure when facing the mediocre team Fulham. In fact, they almost failed to overcome the pressure before Benjamin Sesko scored the winning goal in injury time when the match was two minutes away.
The goal immediately brought up the term 'Carrick Time' which reminded 'Fergie Time' when the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson led Man Utd to victory through late goals.
The match against Tottenham is indeed a decisive one. The question is, The Lilywhites will be a troublesome opponent because they are trying to bounce back after experiencing a slump.
Tottenham itself is like a team with two faces. In the Champions League, the North London club performed convincingly and ranked fourth to be able to qualify automatically for the last 16. On the other hand, they are like a joke in the domestic competition. Tottenham lost a number of points after drawing 2-2 against Manchester City and Burnley. In the London Derby against West Ham United, they lost 2-1 and then were forced to surrender 3-2 against Bournemouth.
The poor results in the Premier League make Tottenham still struggling at the bottom of the table with a ranking of 14 with 29 points. The team coached by Thomas Frank is only nine points ahead of West Ham who are in the relegation zone.
However, Tottenham will fight hard for points because they lost some of the pillar players. Frank can't bring down James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Pedro Porro, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall and Kevin Danso who have not recovered from injury.
Striker Dominic Solanke is actually not fully fit but he is still the first choice in the match. Solanke himself did not play the full match when Tottenham drew against Man City. Frank is likely to not play Solanke in full again.
Likewise, defender Cristian Romero who is still recovering. If he still enters the squad, Romero will not play full. He is back in duet with Micky van de Ven who was absent in the last two matches.
Man Utd itself is still unable to be strengthened by Matthijs de Ligt who is still injured. De Ligt who saved Man Utd from defeat by playing a 2-2 draw against Tottenham in the first meeting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
If De Ligt is still absent, center back Harry Maguire will again duet with Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the defense. Meanwhile, Bryan Mbeumo will be the 'false nine' because Carrick wants to repeat the scenario against Fulham. Striker Benjamin Sesko is prepared as a substitute to be the ultimate weapon. With his fit condition, he can dismantle Tottenham's defense during the second half of the second half.
Mbeumo will be supported by Fernandes along with Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha if Mason Mount has not recovered from injury. In the holding midfielder position, veteran Casemiro remains the first choice along with Kobbie Mainoo.
The young star was upset because he was never played by Amorim and stated that he wanted to leave Old Trafford. Now, under Carrick, the 20-year-old has always got a chance to play. He returned to the starting line-up after Patrick Dorgu, who had a brilliant performance against Arsenal, suffered a thigh injury and was absent in that match.
Man Utd is indeed a little underdogs in that match and aims for the next victory with Carrick. However, they still have to be vigilant because Randal Kolo Muani et al need points to rise.
Predicted Starting XI
Manchester United: Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Diallo, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario; Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Gallagher; Odobert, Simons, Kolo Muani; Solanke