Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United | Premier League | Pre Match

Two fallen titans of the English game butt heads in Sunday's Premier League main event, as Tottenham Hotspur welcome Ruben Amorim's Manchester United to their North London home.

Victory for the Lilywhites would enable them to leapfrog their equally lowly opponents in the bottom half of the Premier League table, although neither can consider themselves to be completely clear of the relegation picture just yet. This scenario is a far cry from the dominance that both clubs once enjoyed, with Tottenham regularly securing European football and Manchester United long being a powerhouse of English football. However, recent years have seen both clubs endure managerial instability, inconsistent form, and a series of underwhelming transfer windows, leaving them floundering in mid-table mediocrity.

Flash back to just after September's North London derby to Arsenal, where a bullish Ange Postecoglou remarked that he "always" wins trophies in his second year in a job, a bold claim which his managerial history does indeed back up. His tenure at Celtic saw him claim back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles, and similar success in Australia and Japan had given fans reason to believe in his project at Tottenham. However, in the ruthless and unpredictable world of the Premier League, nothing is guaranteed, and recent results have cast doubt over his ability to replicate past glories in England’s top flight.

However, in the space of just four days earlier this month, the Australian's bid to fulfil that prophecy suffered two devastating blows, as an EFL Cup semi-final collapse at the hands of Liverpool preceded another premature FA Cup exit, this time in the fourth round to Aston Villa. These defeats not only ended Tottenham's hopes of domestic silverware but also exposed the fragility of a squad that has struggled with injuries, defensive frailties, and a lack of squad depth when key players are unavailable. The psychological toll of these back-to-back eliminations was palpable, leaving Postecoglou and his men searching for inspiration to salvage their campaign in the league and in Europe.

A first slice of silverware since 2008 could still arrive in the form of the Europa League, though, and before their double dose of knockout heartache, Tottenham finally pulled themselves out of a Premier League rut away to London rivals Brentford. Sinking the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium snapped Tottenham's abysmal four-game losing run and seven-game winless sequence in the top flight, where the goal now is to end an equally embarrassing run of form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Home comforts have been anything but comfortable for Postecoglou’s side, whose inability to turn their stadium into a fortress has cost them valuable points in their pursuit of European qualification.

Indeed, Postecoglou's meek men have now gone over three months without winning a Premier League home game, drawing two and losing five of their last seven top-flight games in front of their own fans, despite finding the back of the net in all of them. This bizarre trend of consistently scoring but failing to secure victories has been a point of frustration for the fanbase, with defensive errors and lapses in concentration proving costly. A leaky backline, exacerbated by injuries to key personnel, has made Tottenham vulnerable to counter-attacks and set-piece threats, with Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy often leaving them exposed at the back.

Only Everton have failed to score away from home against Tottenham in the 2024-25 Premier League season, but Postecoglou is yet to suffer the agony of defeat to Man United in the competition and could now become just the fourth manager - after Unai Emery, Ruud Gullit and Nuno Espirito Santo - to go unbeaten in his first four Premier League matches against the Red Devils. This statistic underlines the unpredictable nature of United’s form under Amorim, with the club oscillating between flashes of brilliance and bouts of mediocrity. The inconsistency that has plagued United has been one of their biggest issues this season, with a lack of cohesion and clear tactical identity leaving fans frustrated.

Similarly to Sunday's hosts, Man United also made the net bulge in added time of their FA Cup fourth-round tie, but while Mathys Tel's effort for Tottenham was an uncontroversial consolation, Harry Maguire's for the Red Devils was a highly contentious clincher. The former Leicester centre-back rose highest to nod home a free kick and propel Amorim's men to an extremely hard-fought 2-1 win, but had VAR been in operation for the fourth-round tie, his goal would have undoubtedly been ruled out for the clear offside offence missed by the linesman. Controversy aside, the victory was an important one for United, as it maintained their momentum in cup competitions despite their league struggles.

As Ruud van Nistelrooy raged about 'offside time' as opposed to the age-old 'Fergie time', the overjoyed Man United faithful revelled in their side's sixth victory from their last eight matches across all tournaments, a marked improvement for the former perennial champions as they also chase Europa League glory in the spring. The club’s European ambitions remain a crucial aspect of their season, offering a potential route back into the Champions League should their domestic campaign continue to falter. However, balancing cup commitments with the league has proven to be a significant challenge for Amorim, who has yet to find a consistent winning formula.

However, the 20-time English champions were yet again found wanting in their 2-0 top-flight home loss to Crystal Palace on February 2 - their seventh defeat from their last 11 Premier League matches - and Spurs have had their number twice this season already. Before December's captivating 4-3 EFL Cup quarter-final triumph, Postecoglou's Tottenham were too hot for Erik ten Hag's Man United to handle in a 3-0 Old Trafford trouncing, meaning that they could now do the double over the Red Devils in the Premier League for the very first time. This prospect adds an extra layer of intrigue to Sunday’s clash, as Spurs look to reinforce their recent dominance over United and turn their season around.

For the past several weeks, Postecoglou has been managing without a full team or close to a full team of injured troops, but at least two and potentially as many as four could return for the visit of Man United. The Spurs boss confirmed on Friday that Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie are on track for their first appearances of 2025, while James Maddison and Brennan Johnson could also be back from calf problems. Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner are in training too, but their comebacks will have to wait. The return of Maddison, in particular, could be a game-changer, as his creativity and vision have been sorely missed in recent weeks.

However, Micky van de Ven (thigh), Cristian Romero (thigh), Dominic Solanke (knee) and Richarlison (calf) remain sidelined, while Radu Dragusin recently underwent successful surgery on his season-ending ACL problem. Dragusin and Lisandro Martinez are now both on the mend from similar operations; the Man United defender reportedly underwent his earlier this week and will be one of several guaranteed absentees for the visitors in North London. The injury crises afflicting both sides mean that squad depth and tactical flexibility will be key factors in determining the outcome of this high-stakes encounter.

Luke Shaw (calf), Mason Mount (thigh), Jonny Evans (back), Tom Heaton (unspecified) and Altay Bayindir (unspecified) remain sidelined too, and Amorim also revealed in his pre-game press conference that he had another 'one or two issues', which are now reported to be the trio of Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer. While neither Ugarte nor Collyer have been ruled out just yet, Mainoo is apparently set for a couple of weeks on the sidelines, and it has also been claimed that integral attacker Amad Diallo could miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury in another crushing blow.

The cup success over Leicester saw new arrival Patrick Dorgu peculiarly make his debut on the right-hand side before being hooked at the break for Alejandro Garnacho, who will surely be rewarded for that game-changing cameo with a start on Sunday. With both sides eager to restore their credibility, the clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium promises to be a fierce battle between two teams desperate for points and a return to prominence.