Preview:Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United

Sitting level on points and within touching distance of the Premier League’s top three, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United do battle in North London on Saturday lunchtime.

The two teams meet for the first time since last season’s Europa League final in May when Brennan Johnson scored the only goal in a 1-0 triumph for Spurs in Bilbao.

Match preview

After being booed off the pitch by their own supporters following their wretched 1-0 defeat to rivals Chelsea in the Premier League last weekend, Tottenham bounced back in emphatic fashion on Tuesday night as they put Copenhagen to the sword 4-0 on home soil in the Champions League.

With Spurs leading 2-0 but down to 10 men after Johnson's second-half red card, “Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven” in the words of Thomas Frank, as the centre-back ran the entire length of the pitch to score a sensational goal-of-the-season contender, just three minutes before Joao Palhinha added a fourth to secure their second win from four League Phase fixtures.

Tottenham fans are now crying out for consistency and Frank is optimistic that his side can build an extended run of form. The Danish boss believes his team has taken a “step forward”, both stylistically and structurally, but whether their goal-laden display against Copenhagen will prove to be a turning point remains to be seen.

Sitting sixth in the Premier League table and just a point behind Liverpool in third, Spurs head into Saturday’s contest seeking to win three consecutive top-flight matches against Man United for the first time since the 1959-60 campaign after completing the double over the Red Devils last season.

However, no team has lost more Premier League home games in 2025 than Tottenham (nine); only in 1994 and 2003 (10 in each) have Spurs reached double figures for home defeats in a calendar year in their league history. Meanwhile, Frank has suffered nine losses in his last 16 home league games (W3 D4) across spells with Brentford and Spurs.

Man United and head coach Ruben Amorim deserve credit for how they have responded to a turbulent start to the campaign, with a humbling 3-1 defeat at Brentford at the end of September followed by three successive Premier League wins and a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest last weekend.

The Red Devils’ 1-0 half-time lead at the City Ground evaporated within the space of three second-half minutes after strikes from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona. However, a superb volley from Amad Diallo nine minutes from time salvaged a point for a spirited Man United outfit and extended their run of scoring two or more goals to four matches.

Amorim, who has been nominated for October’s Manager of the Month award, believes that his players are “giving everything” and “have the potential to do better” in their quest to push the club up the table. The Portuguese has also encouraged his team to maintain high energy levels after noticing a ‘drop’ against Forest.

Now sitting eight in the table and only behind both Spurs and Chelsea on goal difference, Man United will endeavour to put together a run of five games without defeat for the first time since January/February 2024, which was also the last time they scored at least two goals in five successive matches.

However, the Red Devils are winless in their last seven meetings with this weekend’s opponents Tottenham across all competitions (D2 L5), losing each of the last four; the last team to win five in a row against the 20-time top-flight champions were Liverpool between 2000 and 2002.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Manchester United Premier League form:

Team News

Tottenham will be without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin (all knee), Dominic Solanke, Yves Bissouma (both ankle), Ben Davies, Kota Takai (both thigh) and Archie Gray (calf) due to injury, while Saturday’s contest will also come too soon for Lucas Bergvall who is required to follow concussion protocols.

Mohammed Kudus is a doubt after missing the midweek win over Copenhagen with a knock and his potential absence could see Johnson handed a start on the right flank, as Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert most likely battle it out for a place on the opposite wing.

Richarlison will continue to push Randal Kolo Muani for a start up front, while midfielder Joao Palhinha and versatile full-back Djed Spence are both expected to earn recalls, with the latter potentially replacing Destiny Udogie at left-back.

As for Man United, their only injury concern is with Lisandro Martinez, who has been sidelined since February with a serious knee injury. Although the defender has returned to training, Amorim may decide to hold off his first-team return until after the international break.

Harry Maguire was fit to return to the substitutes’ bench for the draw at Nottingham Forest and Amorim will weigh up whether to recall the centre-back or stick with Leny Yoro alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw.

Bruno Fernandes is expected to link up with either Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte - most likely the former - in centre-midfield. The Red Devils captain is looking to assist in three consecutive away games for the first time since November 2020 after setting up goals against Forest and Liverpool.

Only against Brighton and Southampton (five) has Bryan Mbeumo scored more Premier League goals than he has against Spurs (four), with three of those four netted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Cameroonian is set to continue in the front three alongside Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Manchester United

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Saturday’s intriguing fixture could go either way given that both teams have struggled for consistency this season, though Man United’s recent upturn in form and growing sense of unity should boost their confidence.

The last two meetings have been tight affairs, ending 1-0 in Spurs’ favour, but we anticipate a more open contest this time around, with both teams cancelling each other out in an entertaining score draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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