Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend.
Erik ten Hag will be looking for redemption for the earlier 2-0 loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in 2023, where a Pape Matar Sarr strike and a Lisandro Martinez own goal gave Ange Postecoglou’s high-flying Spurs side the victory.
He’ll also be looking to start the 2024 Premier League campaign back off with a bang, with this being the first league fixture of the calendar year after the Red Devils faced Wigan in the FA Cup.
It’s going to be a difficult fixture for the first-team squad.
Paul Merson predicts Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Pundit Paul Merson also believes this will be a tough task for the Red Devils. In his predictions column with Sport Skeeda, he gave a little insight on the Premier League clash and suggests there will be goals at Old Trafford. He wrote:
‘If Tottenham win this, they’ll leapfrog Arsenal in the table, meaning the Gunners drop out of the top four. Literally three weeks ago, Mikel Arteta’s side was the team to beat and were at the top of the table, but they could be fifth when the action concludes this weekend, which is just unbelievable.’
‘Manchester United, on the other hand, are nine points behind Arsenal and face an uphill battle to secure a UEFA Champions League spot next season. They need to win this game to stand a chance of finishing in the top four, but they haven’t been consistent this season. It’s so hard to predict Manchester United but one thing is for sure – they tend to show up when their backs are up against the wall.’
‘I predict a lorry-load of goals in this one and will be shocked if it ends goalless, so I’m going for a 2-2 draw.’
- Paul Merson’s Prediction: Manchester United 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United could face Timo Werner
Tottenham have bolstered their attack ahead of this fixture, securing the services of Timo Werner – who has a unique goalscoring record against Manchester United.
With Giovani Lo Celso picking up a recent injury, it looks like Werner could be deployed immediately, with Spurs short of attacking options. He can play anywhere across the front line.
Manchester United missed out on his services this January, and Merson believes he could be an inspired pickup for the North London club. He said:
‘Timo Werner has been the talk of the town after sealing a surprise loan move to Tottenham. I watched this guy a lot when he was at Chelsea and I can’t remember a player who was flagged offside more often than him. I can understand a striker being over-eager to get behind the backline if he’s slow, but Werner is lightning-quick, so I have no idea why he always found himself in an offside position.’
‘If he manages to sort out this problem, I truly think this transfer could turn out to be a masterstroke from Ange Postecoglou.’
Time will tell as to whether the German does feature on Sunday.
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