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Manchester United will take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening in a crucial clash in the Premier League at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have not had the best of starts, winning two, losing two and drawing another of their first five Premier League games.
United have played the North London side 201 times in history, winning on 96 occasions and drawing 51 others.
Last season they failed to beat Spurs in either league match, losing 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and drawing 2-2 at Old Trafford.
Here are three storylines to contemplate for tomorrow’s matchup.
Already a must-win game
United already find themselves languishing in 11th place in the table after a mediocre start to the Premier League season.
While the league standings usually do not take shape until after about ten matches, Erik ten Hag’s side can ill afford to give up more points in the top four race.
With Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all looking like serious title contenders, United are amongst a group of teams who will likely be competing for the final guaranteed Champions League spot.
They are currently four points off Arsenal and three points off rivals Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Spurs are only ahead of United on goal difference, so a win would send Ten Hag’s men three points ahead of Ange Postecoglou’s side. On the other hand, a loss could see them be six points behind two major rivals already and see the team depressingly drop further into the bottom half of the table.
Bruno Fernandes will aim to return to form against favoured opponents
Fernandes has so often been the best thing about the club over the last four and a half years but even his biggest fan would admit he has struggled so far this season.
He was incredibly wasteful in United’s two recent matches against Crystal Palace and FC Twente and will be hoping to turn this around versus Spurs.
Ten Hag dealt with Fernandes’ poor form in his pre-match press conference but he is unlikely to drop the player.
The Portugal international has attempted 17 shots in the Premier League this season, more than any other player who is yet to score.
Fernandes has enjoyed success against Tottenham in the past, scoring three goals and providing two assists in eight games versus the Lily Whites and will be hoping to find form once more at the Theatre of Dreams.
United have historical dominance at home versus Spurs
Despite an uptick in form versus United in recent years, Spurs’ record at Old Trafford is still pretty grim reading for a fan of the Londoners.
Spurs have lost 24 Premier League away games versus Manchester United. Only Everton have lost as many top-flight away fixtures against a single opponent.
They have only won two of their last 10 league visits to United but both were emphatic.
Jose Mourinho returned to bite his former employees with a 1-6 defeat of the Red Devils in October 2020 and United lost 0-3 at home in August 2018.
Erik ten Hag did win his first match against Spurs, a 2-0 victory in October 2022, but he is still yet to beat Postecoglou and will be aiming to fix that statistic by Sunday night.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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