Consent Preferences Spurs Odyssey Premier League match preview - Spurs v Manchester United, 16.02.25
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April 2, 2025

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Spurs Odyssey Preview - Spurs v Manchester United, 16.02.25

. Last season's game - Spurs 2 Man Utd 0, 19.08.23
. This season's away game - Man Utd 0 Spurs 3, 29.09.24
. Premier League Matchday 25 - last year
.
See the current injury list for all Premier League Teams
. All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats

Full League Record of Man Utd v Spurs


Prem          Pl   W   D   L   For-Ag  Pts
Home          32   7  10  15   38 -49  31
Away          33   5   4  24   30 -61  19
=========================================
Total (Prem)  65  12  14  39   68 -110 50  0.77 Pts per game
=========================================
Football Lge
Home (Div 1)  51  20  19  12   89 -64  63
Away (Div 1)  51   9   9  33   55 -101 28
=========================================
Total(Div 1) 102  29  28  45  144 -165 91
=========================================
Football Lge
Home (Div 2)   4   2   1   1   10 - 3   5
Away (Div 2)   4   1   2   1    3 - 3   4
=========================================
Total(Div 2)   8   3   3   2   13 - 6   9
=========================================
Total (Prem)  65  12  14  39   68 -110 50
Total (Div 1) 102 29  28  45  144 -165 91
Total (Div 2)  8   3   3   2   13 - 6   9
=========================================
Grand Total  175  44  45  86  224 -281 150
=========================================

Last Six Premier League results:-

Spurs       -     DLLLLW
           
Spurs      2-2    Wolves
Spurs      1-2    Newcastle
Arsenal    2-1    Spurs  
Everton    3-2    Spurs  
Spurs      1-2    Leicester
Brentford  0-2    Spurs  

Man Utd     -     LDWLWL

Man Utd    0-2    Newcastle
Liverpool  2-2    Man Utd
Man Utd    3-1    S'hampton
Man Utd    1-3    Brighton
Fulham     0-1    Man Utd
Man Utd    0-2    C. Palace

Pos            P  W  D  L   F-A   GD  Pts
13. Man Utd   24  8  5 11  28-34  -6   29
14. Spurs     24  8  3 13  48-37  11   27

Crunch game for two bottom-half teams

Welcome to N17

In my preview for the away game in September, I billed the match as a battle of mid-table giants. Now, both teams find themselves in the bottom half, and even a win will not alter that status of either club. Both qualified for the last 16 of the Europa League and have had a rare midweek off. Both teams are struggling for Premier League form and consistency. It is quite unprecedented for these teams to meet when they both occupy the bottom half of the league table.

Both teams have been the darlings of the media this season, usually for the wrong reasons - a mixture of ineptitude, coupled with injuries and controversy. In recent times, United coach Ruben Amorim had been publicly critical of Marcus Rashford's commitment to his project. This led to his loan to Aston Villa, which started well in their defeat of Spurs last week.

Similarly, £86m flop Antony was sent out on loan to Real Betis until the end of the season after he scored 12 goals in 96 United appearances. Antony scored 10 minutes into his second game with the Spanish mid-table side last week. He scored again in Thursday night's Europa Conference win over AA Gent. Former Spur Giovani Lo Celso is in the squad, and is the Real Betis top scorer in La Liga.

After this season's 3-0 away win Spurs reached 50 Premier League points in 65 games and 150 league points in 175 games in total against United.

Dejan Kulusevski created 8 chances against Manchester United in the September win. Only Christian Eriksen (9 vs. Newcastle and Crystal Palace) had previously created more in a single Premier League game for Spurs (since 03-04).

Fernandes' red card in the away game was subsequently rescinded on appeal. Fernandes was shown two yellow cards in United's next game - a 3-3 draw away to Porto. At that time no Premier League club had conceded three or more goals more times in all competitions than United since Erik ten Hag joined in 2022.

Ten Hag suffered his ninth Premier League home defeat as manager against Spurs. He was sacked on 28th October following defeat away to West Ham. Ruud van Nistelrooy was appointed as interim. United were 14th in the league table with a negative goal difference. At the time, they had also under-performed in the Europa League, having drawn three games, sitting 21st in the 36-team table. However, United won their last five league phase matches and finished (undefeated) above Spurs.

On 1st November Sporting coach Ruben Amorim was signed on a two-and-a-half-year contract until June 2027 with the option of another year at Old Trafford, although he did not formally join United until November 11 after the international break. As a player, Amorim was in the Benfica side that knocked us out of the Europa League in March 2014.

Amorim has now lost seven of his first 13 Premier League games since replacing Ten Hag in November. Five of those defeats have been at home in only seven games played. That's the worst record of any recent United manager.

Incoming players in January included 20-year-old Danish defender Patrick Dorgu, who made his debut in United's FA Cup win over Van Nistelrooy's Leicester last week. Dorgu was substituted at half-time and was off the pitch when Zirkzee scored a 68th minute equaliser and Harry Maguire scored a 93rd minute winner when he had clearly been offside. The other signing was an 18-year-old from the Arsenal academy Ayden Heaven.

When Amad Diallo scored his first Premier League hat-trick aged 22 years 189 days in United's late comeback at home to lowly Southampton in January, United climbed above Spurs for the first time since mid-September. Only Wayne Rooney has scored a PL hat-trick for Manchester United at a younger age.

Spurs registered their first ever Premier League win over Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the fifth attempt (D2 L2) last season, with the 2-0 victory their first home win over the Red Devils since January 2018 at Wembley.

After a run of four straight Premier League defeats against Manchester United between 2021 and 2022, Tottenham are unbeaten in their last four against them in the league (W2, D2).

Lisandro Martinez suffered a devastating new knee injury during the 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace two weeks ago, and had to be carried off. He has a torn ACL and is out for the season. The latest news is that United have their own injury crisis, as Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer have this week been added to a list of absentees which already included Jonny Evans, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw.

Spurs haven't won a home league game since beating Aston Villa 4-1 on 3rd November. They've lost five and drawn two games since.

At long last, there is good news from Ange Postecoglou regarding players possibly returning this week:-

Vicario - last played 23/11/24 - available for selection. He is returning ahead of schedule.

Udogie - last played 29/12/25 - has trained for a full week on grass and in contention.

Maddison - last played 23/01/25 - has trained for a full week on grass and in contention.

Wilson Odobert - last played 24/10/24 - back in full training - "we'll see when we integrate him back into matchdays."

Brennan Johnson - last played 15/01/25, and Timo Werner - last played 12/01/25 - "Brennan is progressing well. Again, he joined in team training, he will train again today which means, whether it's this weekend or next weekend, he'll be good to go. Timo is also training with us and is getting pretty close to being available."

We'll have to wait a week or two longer for Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. Radu Dragusin had his surgery this week, and won't be seen until next season.

Three points is vital to both teams. The game is being played against the backdrop of an anti-Levy march and protests. I'll be getting behind my team and urge you to do the same. I actually do think we will win too!

On 17th January, Denis Law's family announced his passing at the age of 84. In 2021, Law issued a moving statement saying he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Vascular dementia, explaining how the conditions were affecting him.

Law was part of the "holy trinity" with Bobby Charlton and George Best. Their statue stands outside Old Trafford. Law was a contemporary of Jimmy Greaves and like Greaves was a renowned goalscorer for club and country. In Law's case that was Scotland. Like Greaves, Denis briefly played in Italy. Jimmy played for A.C. Milan, Denis for Torino, who with the world of football mourned the only Scottish player to win the Ballon d'Or.

Law's career began at Huddersfield. He played for Manchester City either side of his eleven seasons at Old Trafford. Famously he scored the goal for City which (thanks to results elsewhere) sealed United's relegation in 1974. That was his last goal in the Football League.

Denis Law's funeral service took place earlier this week.

Peter Bankes referees us for the second time this season and twelfth time in all. His last game was a 3-0 FA Cup win (in extra time) at National League Tamworth. Mr Bankes was at Old Trafford only four weeks ago, when United were beaten 3-1 by Brighton. Sunday's game is being televised by SKY and kicks off at 4.30pm.

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