WHO: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
That: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
When: Saturday at 12:30 (12:30 GMT)
How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 09:30 GMT ahead of our live text commentary broadcast.
The weekend's Premier League action begins in north London, where sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur host eighth-placed Manchester United.
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Provisional second place in the table is up for grabs in a grudge match for Ruben Amorim's United after Spurs beat them 1-0 in last season's Europa League final to prevent the Red Devils from playing in the Champions League this season.
As the hosts look to bounce back from a home defeat to Chelsea last weekend, the visitors are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches, a sequence that includes a 2-1 win over champions and arch-rivals Liverpool, as well as last weekend's 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Frank 'happy' with Spurs' response to Chelsea defeat
After an insipid defeat to Chelsea last weekend, Spurs have lost three Premier League games at home this season. Their record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the last 12 months is even worse: they have won just four of 20 home league games, drawn four and lost 12.
Tottenham at least received a midweek boost when Spurs thrashed Copenhagen 4-0 at home to record their biggest win since manager Thomas Frank took charge.
Frank was reluctant to point to the victory over a team from his native Denmark as a turning point after a difficult run of one win in five, but it does lift spirits ahead of Saturday's visit of Manchester United.
“We talk a lot about that recovery mentality because in life and in football there will be setbacks,” he said.
“Every team will experience that and that's how we react, coming out of a bad game or a bad streak and getting back into it. That's part of a good team. I'm very happy with the players' response.”
Van de Ven apologizes with a wonderful goal
Micky van de Ven regained Frank's favor when the Tottenham defender's impressive solo goal during the Copenhagen rout drew comparisons with Lionel Messi.
Van de Ven and Djed Spence were forced to apologize to Tottenham manager Frank this week after they ignored his request to applaud fans following Saturday's defeat to Chelsea.
But Van de Ven retained his place in the starting line-up and produced a moment of magic, racing down the middle of the field before making a clinical finish to score.
“It seems like Lionel Messi became Micky van de Ven, roaring from his own goal to the other end and scoring a fantastic goal,” Frank said.
“I think he is our top scorer in all competitions, so he can move on.”
“We are a better team”
United will not need motivation against Spurs, having lost all four of their games against Tottenham last season.
When asked how United had changed since the Europa League final, Amorim replied: “First of all, the characteristics of the players. So, we are a better team, we play better, we understand the game better. I think we have more confidence.”
“We came to that final confident that we could win because we were doing well in Europe, but at this moment we play with a different confidence.
“We managed the moments of the game better. But if you remember that game, they had that shot on goal, they won the game.
“So I'm hoping for a different game, that we can play better, but also that we have a little bit of luck to help us win the game.”
Amorim responds to Ronaldo's criticism
Cristiano Ronaldo, who won eight trophies with United, said this week that United were “not on a good path” after a miserable season in which the Red Devils finished 15th, and warned that Amorim was “not going to work miracles” at Old Trafford.
Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November 2024, responded by urging fans and experts to look forward instead of thinking about the past.
“Of course, it has a big impact on everything he says,” Amorim said Thursday.
“What should we focus on?” [on] It's in the future. We know that as a club we made many mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. So let's not focus on what happened. let's focus [on] what we are doing now.
“We are changing a lot of things in the structure, the way we do things, the way we want the players to behave. We are doing it and we are improving.”
Face to face
The two clubs have met 204 times, with United winning 96 of those games, Tottenham winning 57 and 51 ending in a draw.
Despite winning the league double over Man United last season, Spurs have only won four of their last 12 Premier League games against the Red Devils, with three of their last five victories coming at Old Trafford.
As well as beating United 1-0 in the Europa League final last season, Spurs also won 4-3 in the League Cup quarter-finals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The last time United beat Spurs was in October 2022, when goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes gave the Red Devils a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Spurs could be missing up to 10 players for the visit of United, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Archie Gray and Kota Takai ruled out through injury.
Winger Mohammed Kudus is a doubt after he missed the win over Copenhagen with a knock, which could pave the way for Brennan Johnson to start on the right.
Midfielder Lucas Bergvall is unlikely to be present due to concussion protocols following a head knock that forced his substitution against Chelsea last weekend.
Tottenham's expected starting lineup
Vicar; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr; Johnson, Richarlison, Simons
The first news from the Manchester United team
United's only reported injury concern is that of central defender Lisandro Martínez, who has returned to training after being sidelined since February with a knee injury, but is still recovering to full fitness.
Harry Maguire returned to the bench for United's 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest last weekend after recovering from a knock, so Amorim could recall the defender or stick with Leny Yoro in the back three.
United's expected starting lineup
Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; sesko
