Tottenham Hotspur travel to Old Trafford on Wednesday evening to take on Manchester United, as Antonio Conte looks for a third straight Premier League victory.
The north Londoners are third in the table with 23 points from 10 games and have a great chance to move further clear of their next opponents, who lie fifth with 16 points from nine games. They head into the midweek fixture off the back of a convincing 2-0 victory over Everton at home.
Conte will want his team to put in a strong display away from home and exploit weaknesses of Erik ten Hag’s side in what promises to be an exciting game.
Tottenham Team News
Antonio Conte will be without four first-team players for Wednesday’s clash against Man United.
Emerson Royal will serve his final of a three-game suspension after being shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli. Dejan Kulusevski continues his recovery from a thigh problem and, as a result, is a doubt, while Richarlison and Japhet Tanganga have both been ruled out with calf injury and knock, respectively.
Predicted Tottenham Lineup vs Man United (3-5-2)
Goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris is the Lilywhites’ undisputed first-choice goalkeeper and will start in the Tottenham lineup against Man United.
Defence
Conte could tweak his system from 3-4-2-1 to a little conservative 3-5-2 on Wednesday. However, the back three is likely to remain the same with Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Ben Davies retaining their places in the Tottenham lineup.
The Spurs backline must stay focused throughout the game to keep an exciting Man United attack at bay. Davinson Sanchez and Clement Lenglet will offer cover for the defensive spots on the bench.
Midfield
In an away fixture against a team that will look to have the ball more, the Spurs boss is likely to go with a three-man midfield.
Yves Bissouma should get a chance to feature alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in the middle of the park in the Tottenham lineup, as the trio aim to disrupt United’s rhythm and create meaningful chances in the final third for the forwards.
Ivan Perisic played the full 90 minutes against Everton and could get a breather in midweek. Ryan Sessegnon is likely to replace Perisic at left wing-back in the Tottenham lineup, with Matt Doherty continuing at right wing-back after a couple of encouraging displays in recent weeks.
Attack
With Richarlison injured, Dejan Kulusevski a doubt and Lucas Moura not yet up to speed to start a game, Conte might go with a two-pronged attack of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. With their speed, creativity and movement, both Son and Kane could cause problems for the Man United backline.
Moura might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if Spurs are in need of a goal by then.
