Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night, with a place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals at stake.
The Carabao Cup represents an excellent chance for Ruben Amorim to claim early silverware as the head coach at Old Trafford.
So, just four 90 minutes of football and we could see Manchester United lifting the trophy.
However, we cannot get ahead of ourselves with Spurs coming into this one off the back of a 5-0 win over Southampton. United will arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium full of confidence after the dramatic 2-1 win in the Manchester derby.
It is a big clash between two of England’s big six – and both will be looking to join Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle in the semi-finals.
How Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United XI vs Spurs could look
United will undoubtedly name a strong team on Thursday night, with a strong group of players available to Amorim.
However, two guaranteed absences are Luke Shaw and also Mason Mount who went off injured against City. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford was not seen travelling to London and Noussair Mazraoui is a doubt.
Here is our predicted XI for the game.
Andre Onana
In goal, Amorim has started Andre Onana in every game so far, and we expect that will continue against Spurs. Unfortunately for Altay Bayindir, the cup competitions are yielding tough draws.
Leny Yoro
After missing out on the starting line-up against Man City, Leny Yoro should be in here from the start against Spurs on the right side.
Matthijs de Ligt
Back in the centre of defence we expect will be Matthijs de Ligt – despite how brilliant Harry Maguire was against City he should be rested given his age and injury pronness.
Lisandro Martinez
On the left of the three, we expect Lisandro Martinez from the start again after he was very solid on Sunday against City. United need to find a left-sided centre-back in January to help and allow rotation.
- READ MORE: Who is Lisandro Martinez? Step inside the life of Manchester United’s tenacious Argentine
Diogo Dalot
Noussair Mazraoui is likely to miss out due to injury with Amorim confirming he is a doubt. Therefore the right wing-back slot should belong to Diogo Dalot in this game.
Manuel Ugarte
Manuel Ugarte was superb against City, and we think he’ll start again here as Amorim begins to settle on his preferred team. Ugarte has been very dominant in midfield in recent weeks and that will hopefully continue against Spurs.
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo only entered the derby after Mount’s injury but ended up having a really solid game in which he was everywhere for United. Getting Mainoo and Ugarte more minutes as a pairing should be a priority for United right now.
Tyrell Malacia
On the left, Tyrell Malacia would be our choice to start after he missed out on Sunday against City. Malacia has been quietly impressive since his return from an 18-month lay-off.
Amad Diallo
In an ideal world, Amorim would be able to give Amad Diallo some rest, but his importance to this United team cannot be understated. Amad was a menace against City and could be capable of causing Spurs similar issues.
Bruno Fernandes
With Mount injured and Rashford not seen travelling, Bruno Fernandes could move back into a more advanced role as he did for much of the City game.
Rasmus Hojlund
Rasmus Hojlund has established himself as the number-one striker for Amorim. We therefore expect that he will start against Spurs as he looks to add to his impressive tally under Amorim.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
