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Manchester United’s bid to bring back the glory days has had numerous false starts but optimism has rarely been higher at Old Trafford following the early impact made by interim boss Michael Carrick.
It’s hardly too fanciful or pessimistic to think that, under Ruben Amorim, United would have taken one point out of nine from fixtures against Manchester City (h), Arsenal (a) and Fulham (h).
They managed just two from the corresponding matches last year but under Carrick the rejuvenated Red Devils banked all nine.
Even the manner of victory has summoned up United of old thanks to late winners against both Arsenal and Fulham.
Carrick’s men are heavily fancied by the bookmakers to extend that stunning start with victory over a Spurs side that can drive their own fans to despair but then occasionally find a spark out of nowhere.
That was the case last weekend when they looked down and out against Manchester City at half-time but produced a storming second-half comeback to strike twice and draw 2-2.
Both sides have momentum and, to add further intrigue, Spurs won this very fixture 3-0 last season and are unbeaten in their last eight games against United in all competitions. That includes the very forgettable (for non-Spurs fans) Europa League final in May 2025.
How to watch Man Utd v Tottenham
Man Utd v Tottenham kicks off at 12.30 GMT on Saturday, February 7 at Old Trafford.
The game will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting from 12pm.
TalkSPORT will provide full match commentary.
Man Utd team news
United boss Carrick, who spent two years as a Spurs player, revealed in his press conference that midfielder Mason Mount and defender Matthijs de Ligt are still unavailable, although the former should be back sooner.
Mount is “not far away” while De Ligt is “taking good steps”, said Carrick.
Patrick Dorgu remains on the casualty list while striker Benjamin Sesko will be pushing for a start after his injury-time winner against Fulham.
The bench looks most likely for the giant Slovenian however, with Bryan Mbeumo set to play as United’s most advanced attacker for the fourth game in a row.
Man Utd expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo.
Tottenham team news
Thomas Frank has been given a boost with the news that key defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven should both be fit to start after concerns.
Djed Spence is also in contention, with Frank saying it will be “touch and go” for the full-back. Archie Gray is set to fill in.
Dominic Solanke took a knock to the ankle in the 2-2 draw against Man City but has been training this week so should get the green light.
Tottenham’s long-term injuries include Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Richarlison.
Tottenham expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) Vicario; Gray, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Gallagher; Odobert, Simons, Kolo Muani; Solanke.
Man Utd v Tottenham stats
– Man Utd are winless in their last six league games against Tottenham Hotspur (D3 L3), their joint-longest ever run without a win against them (also 6 between 1914 and 1921).
– Tottenham won this exact fixture 3-0 last season – only once have they won consecutive away games against Man Utd in the Premier League, doing so in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
– Tottenham are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Manchester United in all competitions (W5 D3). It’s their longest ever run without defeat against them.
– Manchester United are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games (W4 D3) and have won all three since Michael Carrick returned as manager. The Red Devils last won four in a row in February 2024 under Erik ten Hag.
– Tottenham are winless in their last six Premier League games (D4 L2), their longest run since their last seven in 2024-25. However, five of Spurs’ seven league wins this season have come away from home.
– Manchester United are unbeaten in all nine of their Premier League games this season when they have less possession than their opponents (W7 D2), winning all seven when having less than 45%. They’ve won just four of their 15 league games when having over 50% of the ball (D6 L5).
– Only bottom two sides Burnley (23) and Wolves (21) have conceded more first-half goals than Tottenham (18) in the Premier League this season.
Man Utd v Tottenham predictions
It’s easy to jump on the Carrick bandwagon and pencil this in as another win for the new boss – especially as Spurs have far more bad days than good.
But the 4/7 doesn’t get the pulse racing, especially with United almost blowing a 2-0 lead against Fulham at Old Trafford last weekend.
Tottenham, for all their faults, are actually unbeaten in four games (two wins in the Champions League and two draws in the Premier League) while they’ve scored twice in each of their last three away matches.
Then there’s that eye-popping head-to-head record which shows Spurs are unbeaten in their last eight games against United.
There’s enough there to think that Tottenham can grab a point and the draw at 7/2 makes plenty of appeal – as does the 14/1 for a 2-2 correct scoreline, the result when these two met in London earlier this season.
Dominic Solanke has five goals in his last five games against United (two of those in his Bournemouth days) and is worth a punt at 11/4 to net again following his brace against Man City last weekend.
