Sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur welcome eighth-placed Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday at 12:30 GMT in the Premier League opener. Spurs seek a response after a home defeat to Chelsea, while United aim to end a run of four losses to their rivals last season, including a 1-0 Europa League final defeat. Both teams enter with injury concerns but recent positive results.
The match carries extra weight following Tottenham's 1-0 victory over Manchester United in last season's Europa League final, which denied the Red Devils Champions League football. United, under Ruben Amorim since November 2024, have improved, remaining unbeaten in their last four Premier League games, including a 2-1 win over Liverpool and a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest. Tottenham, managed by Thomas Frank, thrashed Copenhagen 4-0 in midweek Champions League action—their biggest win since Frank took charge—after losing 1-0 to Chelsea, extending their poor home form to three Premier League defeats this season and just four wins in 20 home league games over the past year.
Frank praised his side's bounce-back mentality: "We talk a lot about that bounce-back mentality because in life and football there will be setbacks. Every team will experience that and it’s how we react to that... I’m very happy with the response the players came with." Defender Micky van de Ven starred with a stunning solo goal against Copenhagen, running half the pitch for a clinical finish, drawing Lionel Messi comparisons. Frank added: "It seems like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven... I think he’s our top scorer in all competitions, so he can keep going."
Amorim believes United are a stronger side now: "We are a better team, we play better, we understand the game better. I think we are more confident... So, I expect a different game, that we can play better, but also to have a little bit luck to help us to win the game." He responded to Cristiano Ronaldo's criticism of United's path, saying: "What we need to focus [on] is in the future... We are changing a lot of things in the structure... We are doing that and we are improving."
Head-to-head records show United leading with 96 wins to Tottenham's 57 in 204 meetings, though Spurs won both league games last season and the League Cup quarterfinal 4-3 at home. United's last win was a 2-0 victory in October 2022.
Team News
Tottenham could miss up to 10 players: James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Archie Gray and Kota Takai are out injured. Mohammed Kudus is a doubt with a knock, and Lucas Bergvall is sidelined by concussion protocols. Predicted lineup: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr; Johnson, Richarlison, Simons.
Manchester United's main concern is Lisandro Martinez, regaining fitness after a knee injury since February. Harry Maguire is back from a knock, but Kobbie Mainoo is ruled out. Predicted lineup: Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko.
Provisional second place is at stake for the winners.