Tottenham Hotspur are at the Wembley Stadium for Wednesday night’s Premier League showdown versus Manchester United. Spurs have gone unbeaten in their previous five meetings with United on their home turf, but they no longer have the luxury of playing at the White Hart Lane which has been demolished as part of their plans to move to a new stadium next term.
Spurs have been in good vein of form in the Premier League of late but they are still two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool after they settled for a 1-1 draw versus Southampton. Their FA Cup fourth round outing at Newport County also did not go as planned last weekend as they avoided a major cupset with a 1-1 draw at Rodney Parade.
In contrary, United are on a five match-winning streak in all competitions in 2018. Their defence has been a major strong point in this period with no goals conceded, and their most recent outing ended in a 4-0 triumph over Yeovil Town in the FA Cup fourth round. United are still 12 points behind top-flight leaders Manchester City.
Previous meeting:
The last outing between the sides was at Old Trafford where United scrapped through a 1-0 victory. The game was equally paced throughout but Spurs had the upper hand during the first period of the game. Without Harry Kane in their ranks, the north London side did not have a cutting edge to their play, and this eventually benefited the hosts, who increased their tempo in the final quarter of the match. Substitute Anthony Martial netted a late winner in the 81st minute after a wonderfully crafted header from Romelu Lukaku which left Spurs’ defence flat-footed.
Players to watch for:
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur: The England international was deemed unfit to participate versus United last time around with a hamstring injury, and this reduced the overall threat from the north London club. Spurs have drawn back-to-back games this month but this has not stopped the marksman from scoring, including a key equaliser versus Newport in the Cup. Kane has a lean record of just one goal in seven attempts versus United, and he will no doubt want to make a statement.
Alexis Sanchez – Manchester United: Likewise Kane, Sanchez is likely to be the focus of attention for United. Anthony Martial has been the club’s main game-changer in recent meetings, but the expectations are likely to pile on Sanchez, who is bound to receive a hostile reception owing to his former link with Spurs’ city rivals Arsenal. Sanchez has netted just twice in eight meetings with Spurs, but the Chilean will be out to prove that he can be the perfect foil for the likes of Romelu Lukaku with his wide range of passing and crossing skills.
Image – Creative Commons
