The Red Devils travel to Spurs knowing that a win should put the top-four race to bed. However, the North London heavyweights will look to bounce back after their nightmare at Newcastle.

Another key game in the top-four race is upon us as Manchester United and Tottenham, two clubs desperate to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season, face off in North London on Thursday in an interesting match.

While Spurs are mathematically still in a top-four race, they are the least likely to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. The hosts have been currently leapfrogged by Aston Villa (fifth) and Liverpool (sixth) in the table and are six points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

This gap might not appear large, but with the North London giants having played two extra games in comparison to the Red Devils, they are facing an uphill battle to gain ground on Erik ten Hag's side.

A victory on Thursday would be one huge step towards achieving this. That gap would be slashed to three points, and with Manchester United set to play Aston Villa, Brighton, and West Ham in their next three games, there could be a few slip-ups from the Premier League's most successful team.

However, one look at Tottenham's form paints a bleak picture of their upcoming games. Their most recent outing was the trip to Newcastle, a game that saw Harry Kane and Co. go 5-0 down inside the first 21 minutes. That game eventually ended in a horrendous 6-1 defeat, with Cristian Stellini, Antonio Conte's no.2 and the interim head coach, being sacked as a result.

Ryan Mason has been given the reins until the end of the season but can the inexperienced tactician stop the rot at Tottenham? The London side have won only once since Antonio Conte's departure and that was the controversial 2-1 victory over Brighton where VAR played a huge role.

Additionally, things weren't rosy under Conte as well, with Spurs winning only six of their last 15 games. The last time these two sides met, the Italian was in charge, and yet the North London heavyweights still lost, going 2-0 down at Old Trafford. Can they turn things around and inflict revenge?

Manchester United are in the midst of an injury crisis but credit goes to Erik ten Hag who has managed to keep them competitive regardless. The 3-0 loss away to Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals, a result that got them eliminated from the competition, was an ugly stain, but the Red Devils have continued to produce results for the most part.

The English giants head into this game on the back of their FA Cup semifinal victory over Brighton, beating De Zerbi's tricky side on penalties to set up a showdown with Manchester City in June.

However, that triumph came at a cost as Bruno Fernandes picked up an injury, adding to the club's growing crisis. Ten Hag is already without his preferred center-back partnership and could be without his influential skipper.

There have been a few hiccups outside of that Europa League defeat against Sevilla, however. While the club have won their last two Premier League games by a 2-0 scoreline, beating Nottingham Forest and Everton, it wasn't long ago when the Red Devils lost 2-0 away to Newcastle.

The Magpies currently sit ahead of Manchester United in the table and while Rashford and Co. are the favorites to finish in the top four, a defeat at Tottenham could switch what looks to be a formality into something complicated.

As mentioned earlier, the 20-time English champions have tricky fixtures coming up, mainly the trips to Brighton and West Ham in early May. As a result, the club must put Spurs to the sword to achieve breathing space in the race to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

Team news

Tottenham: Hugo Lloris, who was subbed off at half-time in the defeat at Newcastle, suffered a worrying hip injury and joins Rodrigo Bentancur, Emerson Royal, Ryan Sessegnon, and Yves Bissouma on the sidelines. Lucas Moura, however, is back from suspension after being given a straight red in the 1-1 draw at Everton.

Manchester United: Bruno Fernandes injured his ankle in the FA Cup and isn't expected to feature in this game, joining Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane on the sidelines. Harry Maguire is back from suspension but is unlikely to displace the Lindelof-Shaw partnership that triumphed over Brighton. Garnacho and Van de Beek are two other absentees.

Key stats

  • Tottenham are on a four-game losing streak against Manchester United in the Premier League.

  • The Red Devils have beaten Spurs 39 times in the Premier League.

  • Harry Kane has 99 Premier League goals for Tottenham in home matches and could make history by reaching the 100-mark if he scores on Thursday.

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 2 Manchester United

April 27, 2023 3:15pmTottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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