Tottenham, United do battle in White Hart Lane
After Manchester United record-breaking 25-game unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end at Arsenal last Sunday, the Reds are back in north London this weekend, fresh from the euphoria of reaching the Europa League final on Thursday night.
With the Gunners moving up to fifth following their midweek win over Southampton, United will be looking to maintain the pressure on the teams above.
Meanwhile, with Chelsea able to wrap up the title with victory at West Bromwich Albion on Friday, three points for Spurs would guarantee them second place and cap another excellent domestic season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men currently have a seven-point cushion over third-placed Liverpool and boast one of the best home records in the country, winning their last seven games in all competitions at White Hart Lane. So, it promises to be another stern test of United’s credentials.
The Red Devils have struggled for consistency in the league lately. After impressive victories over Sunderland, Chelsea and Burnley without conceding a goal, United are winless in the last three games but had won the previous four league games on the road before the loss at the Emirates Stadium.
As far as Tottenham are concerned, their title hopes were all but extinguished by a 1-0 defeat at West Ham United last week. The surprise loss came after they bounced back from the Emirates FA Cup semi-final defeat by Chelsea with successive wins over London rivals Arsenal and Crystal Palace, earning boss Pochettino and forward Son Heung-Min the Premier League Manager and Player of the Month awards for April respectively.
Manchester United will be without five players, with Jose Mourinho confirming on Wednesday the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Tim Fosu-Mensah, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young will be out for the rest of the season. Marouane Fellaini will serve the final game of his three-match domestic suspension but Eric Bailly’s ban following his dismissal against Celta Vigo applies only to European competitions.
Spurs, meanwhile, remain without the injured Harry Winks and Erik Lamela but Danny Rose could return after a lengthy absence with a knee-ligament problem.