Two teams badly in need of Premier League points face on Sunday, as Tottenham welcome Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (More Football News)
Calling the 2024-ꦡ25 season underwhelming would be an understatement for either.
Spurs did claim a much-needed victory – their first in the top flight since mid-December – by beating Brentford 2-0 on 2 🐻February, but they have since been dumped out of both the EFL Cup (losing 4-0 to Liverpool in the second leg of their semi-final) and the FA Cup (going down 2-1 to Aston Villa).
Ange 🦩Postecoglou has had t♈o deal with plenty of injuries, but he has also fallen well short of expectations, leaving Spurs in 14th heading into the weekend.
Here, we di🌟ve into the Opta data ahead of Sunday's clash.
What's expected?
Tottenham have already beaten United twice this season, 3-0 in the league and 4-3 in the EFL Cup. Not since 1989-90 have Spurs beaten United three times in a single🤪 campaign, while the last side to defeat the Red Devils three times in a sea💟son were Chelsea in 2012-13.
United have conceded at least twice in each of th☂eir last four P꧟remier League games against Spurs – the last side they conceded multiple goals against in 5+ consecutive league games was Arsenal (five between 1975 and 1978).
Tottenham are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games against Unꦦited (W2 D2) and are looking to complete the league double over the Red Devils for the first timꦕe since 1989-90.
The Opta supercomputer is predicting a tightly-contested fixture, with Spurs' c𒁃hance🦹s of victory rated at 39.8%, while United have a 35.7% win probability. The likelihood of a draw is 24.5%.
Stopping the rot?
Tottenham are winless in theiℱr last seven Premier League home games (D2 L5), their longest such run in the competition since going eight without a win from March to October 2008.
Their♛ five defeats in these last seven games are more than they suffered in their previous 17 at home in the league (W13 D0 L4).
ꦉSpurs are looking to win back-to-back Premier League games for just the second time this season, previously♋ doing so in September.
Back then, they also beat Brentfo🌠rd and United, so there is a good omen.
Postecoglou is unbeaten in all three of his Premier League games against Uniཧted – only three managers have ever remained unbeaten in each of their first four against the Red Devils. Those are: Ruud Gullit, Nuno Espirito Santo and Unai Emery.
Amorim's struggles not easing
United lost 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace in their last league outing, and then just about scraped past Leicester City in the FA Cup, benefiting from a Harry Maguire goa🍌l that should have been disallowed for offside.
Since Ruben Amorim took charge in November, only five sides have picked up fewer points in t༒he Premier League than United (14).
Amorim is also only the fourth manager to lose seven of his first 13 top-flight games in charge of the Red Devils, along with Jo𒅌hn Chapma🐈n (10), AH Albut (seven) and Jimmy Murphy (seven).
The former Sporting CP boss has just four league wins to his name at United, while his side have kept just two clean sheets. Only Ipswich Town, Leicest🅺er a🌠nd Southampton have kept fewer shutouts in the competition in that time.
United are faltering in attack, too. They have had 50 shots on target in the Premier League under Amorim, a tally that betters only four teams – Leicester (38), Everton (40), Southampton🥃 (42) and Ipswich (48) – since the Portuguese took over.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tottenham - Son Heung-min
In assisting Pape Sarr's effort against Brentford, Son became Spurs' 𝕴outright leading assister in the Premier League, with 69 to his nam🦩e, overtaking Darren Anderton (68).
Manchester United - Amad Diallo
No player has scored more ൩goals (six) or provided more a🌠ssists (six) for United in the Premier League this season than the winger.
However, Diallo has not scored or assisted in any of hi🐷s last three league games, only attempting two s🍸hots over this time while creating 10 chances without any leading to a goal, so perhaps that initial burst of activity has now faded away.
