Tottenham Hotspur will square off against Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, and Jose Mourinho will hope to get one over his former side.
Manchester United are in a slightly better position than Spurs as far as the league table is concerned. The gap between the two teams is only four points, as the race for the top four heats up in the final stretch of the league.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were in a better run of form compared to Spurs before the league was suspended, but form is pretty much out of the window now after the long hiatus.
Both the teams will get their respective injury boosts ahead of the big clash as Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford have recovered in time to feature for United.
Spurs, meanwhile, will have the option of fielding Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Sissoko.
Tottenham vs Manchester United – 3 key battles
#3 Moussa Sissoko vs Bruno Fernandes
The two will be up against each other in midfield. Fernandes has done well since signing for Manchester United, and the league suspension came at the wrong time for him.
The Portuguese was the spark in the team, and his ability to drop deep and orchestrate the play or feature as an attacking midfielder could be a handful for Spurs.
Moussa Sissoko should start in a midfield three, and he will have to keep an eye on Fernandes. While Winks will play as the deepest midfielder, Sissoko will have to put the pressure on Fernandes and deny him the time on the ball, else the former Sporting man could cut the Spurs defence open.
#2 Heung-Min Son vs Aaron Wan-Bissaka
This battle on the wing will be no less for the viewers to cherish. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been the best tackler in the Premier League and United have benefited well from his defensive ability.
On the other hand, Heung-Min Son’s evolution at Tottenham has been marvellous, and he is now one of the most talked-about players not only in England but in Europe.
This will be a battle of sheer pace on the wings as the two teams would look to restart their campaign on a winning note.
Son has pace to burn and a bag of tricks up his sleeve, but Wan-Bissaka is a very athletic tackler, and is quick himself. An intriguing battle on the cards.
#1 Harry Kane vs David de Gea
Harry Kane will be desperate to light up the scoreboards and lead the team from the front after being back from injury. David de Gea, who has not been at his very best this season, in a bid to regain his world-class status, will have to put in a good display.
United’s defending was rusty against West Brom in the friendly, and it’s likely that the defenders will rely on de Gea to bail them out on occasions come Friday.
Kane is usually deadly in front of goal, so the Spaniard needs to be on his toes and avoid small mistakes. De Gea’s distribution will also be a key aspect of the game.
