In the wake of another comically catastrophic few days at the Tottenham

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In the wake of another comically catastrophic few days at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Lilywhites return to the capital to take on Premier League top-four rivals Manchester United on Thursday night. While the hosts were thumped 6-1 by Newcastle United on Sunday and subsequently gave Cristian Stellini the boot, the Red Devils set up an all-Manchester FA Cup final, breaking Brighton & Hove Albion hearts on penalties.

Less than one month after showing Antonio Conte the door, Tottenham are onto their third manager of the season, with Ryan Mason taking over from the sacked Cristian Stellini until the end of the season. Their embarrassing 6-1 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday was described as ‘wholly unacceptable’ by chairman Daniel Levy, who has acted quickly in a bid to resurrect his club’s dwindling top-four hopes.

Defeat here could leave Spurs nine points short of that ambition if Newcastle also win, while it would also see them on the receiving end of three consecutive Premier League (PL) losses for the first time since February 2022. The visit of Manchester United therefore comes at an inopportune time, as no side in PL history have more wins against Tottenham than the Red Devils (39).

That includes a current four-match H2H winning streak for United, who return to the capital in buoyant mood after progressing to the FA Cup final at the weekend, outlasting Brighton 7-6 on penalties. Fatigue may be a factor after a gruelling 120 minutes, while no side in Europe have played more games than United’s 53 so far this term. Manager Erik ten Hag is showing no signs of letting up, describing a top-four finish as ‘so important’ for a club that ‘belong in the UEFA Champions League’.

The Red Devils’ charge is being powered by a strong defence which boasts the most PL clean sheets (14), helped by four shutouts in their last five league matches (W3, D1, L1). That solidity wasn’t on display in their last away assignment when they were dumped out of Europe by Sevilla, but each of United’s last six losses on the road were followed by a victory, so they should be confident of getting back on the winning trail here.

Date: 27/04/2023
Time: 22:15
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
Pick for this Match:
“YES” – @ 1.85( Betway )