Sanchez to start over Martial? How everyone expects Tottenham & Man Utd to line up

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set for his toughest task yet as Manchester United manager with a trip to Wembley to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Spurs will be hoping to keep their Premier League title hopes alive with a win, while United must begin to close the gap on the other sides challenging for a top four finish.

There will also be an underlying narrative at play as Mauricio Pochettino continues to be linked with the permanent United job.

Read on for Spurs vs Man Utd live stream options, team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.

When is Spurs vs Man Utd?

Competition: Premier League

Venue: Wembley Stadium

Date: Sunday, 13 January

Kick-off: 4:30 PM GMT

Match Preview

The result of this season’s reverse fixture at Old Trafford played a major role in the downfall of Jose Mourinho.

In just the third game of the campaign, Tottenham consigned Mourinho to a second successive defeat. The visitors ran out 3-0 winners thanks to a Harry Kane goal and two from Lucas Moura. Many United supporters rallied behind Mourinho, but the writing was emerging on the wall.

With Mourinho out and Solskjaer in, the Red Devils enjoyed a happy festive period, as did Spurs.

United have won their last five matches, most recently coasting past Reading in the FA Cup. Tottenham have lost just one of their last eight games, with a 3-1 home defeat to Wolves being the only recent blip.

Whether or not the Wolves loss was was a preventable slip-up, United will take some confidence from seeing Spurs beaten at Wembley, where they have already lost three times in the Premier League this term.

Tottenham have been operating at a level higher than United for most of the campaign, but Solskjaer will been keen to change the narrative this weekend.

Where can I watch live?

UK residents can watch Spurs vs Man Utd on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, channels 401 and 403 respectively on Sky, and channels 501 and 503 respectively for Virgin Media users.

Will Son Heung-min give Spurs a leaving present?

This will be Son Heung-min’s last game for Tottenham before he travels to the Asian Cup to compete for South Korea.

The forward won a gold medal at the Asian Games with his country in September, missing the beginning of the club season, and Spurs are now set for another spell without one of their most in-form players.

Son has scored in four of his last six appearances and will be eager to leave Tottenham with a parting gift in the form of a goal, a way of thanking the Londoners for allowing him to represent South Korea once again.

Can Paul Pogba pick up from where he left off?

Prior to United’s 2-0 win at Newcastle on January 2, Paul Pogba was on fire. He had scored a brace against Huddersfield and Bournemouth and looked to have return to his best following Mourinho’s exit.

But the Frenchman was on the receiving end of a nasty challenge from Jonjo Shelvey against Newcastle, resulting in him having to miss the 2-0 victory over Reading in the FA Cup.

It has been confirmed Pogba is fit to face to face Spurs, and it will be interesting to see if he can pick up from where he left off, bearing in mind Tottenham will prove a much more difficult opponent than Bournemouth and Huddersfield.

Is Christian Eriksen closing in on a new deal?

Above we’ve focused on two stars who could have a tangible effect on Sunday’s game, but one player who could pull the strings in more of a quiet fashion is Christian Eriksen, who scored within 11 seconds of this fixture last term.

The Dane, who has 18 months left on his current deal, has been playing a slightly deeper role of late without any complaints, and Tottenham are said to be keen to reward him with a new long-term contract to ward off reported interest from Real Madrid.

In his press conference on Friday, Pochettino said Eriksen has every right to stall on a new deal, saying: “Of course it’s his right to wait, to maybe sign this week or in six months, to have different dreams and challenges.”

Head-to-head

Over the last eight meetings between Spurs and United, results have been evenly matched with both sides winning four games each. Tottenham have won their last three home league encounters with United, but the Red Devils come out way on top overall.

Spurs wins: 52 Draws: 48 Man Utd wins: 90

Team news

1. Paul Pogba to make United return

Eric Dier has returned to light training after having his appendix removed but Spurs have confirmed the midfielder isn’t ready to play against United. Lucas Moura (knee) will be assessed, while Victor Wanyama (knee) is still out.

Mousa Dembele, who has been injured since November, wasn’t mentioned in Tottenham’s weekly team news Tweet amid reports he is set to leave for the Chinese Super League.

Solskjaer has confirmed Paul Pogba will be fit enough to return after completing a couple of training sessions in the week, following a poor tackle from Jonjo Shelvey against Newcastle. Marcos Rojo is still struggling with an injury and has travelled back to Argentina, while Eric Bailly serves the final game of his three-match ban.

Predicted Spurs XI: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen; Alli; Son, Kane.

Predicted Man Utd XI: De Gea; Young, Jones, Lindelof, Shaw; Herrera, Matic; Lingard, Pogba, Martial; Rashford.

But who do other media outlets predict will start the game for both sides?

2. Young to start over Valencia

Most media outlets are agreed in the majority of players set to start Sunday’s game, with both Spurs and Manchester United having a clear strongest XI.

One difference the Guardian have gone for is to use Ashley Young at right-back ahead of Antonio Valencia, with the Ecuadorian failing to impress against Newcastle.

3. Trippier returns after rest

Another position up for contention ahead of Sunday’s game is that of Tottenham’s right-back. Kieran Trippier started in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win over Chelsea in midweek, doing well to keep Marcos Alonso and Willian quiet until the latter was substituted.

And, despite Serge Aurier showing some signs of improvement and consistency, the Evening Standard have backed the Bury Beckham to start on Sunday.

Evening Standard‘s predicted Tottenham XI (4-4-2): Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Rose; Winks, Sissoko, Eriksen, Dele Alli; Son, Kane

4. Sanchez starts over Martial

The Evening Standard have so tipped Alexis Sanchez to return to north London from the start of the match at Wembley, after recently making his comeback from injury. This sees Anthony Martial drop down to the bench after a quiet game against Newcastle at the start of the year.

They have also predicted Romelu Lukaku to start from the bench, looking to cause an impact in the second half as he has done so well under Solskjaer so far.

Evening Standard’s predicted Man Utd XI (4-3-3): De Gea; Young, Jones, Lindelof, Shaw; Matic, Herrera, Pogba; Lingard, Rashford, Sanchez

Squawka Prediction

We are yet to see Solskjaer take on a really high-quality team, and a trip to high-flying Tottenham might just prove too much for the Norwegian so early in his spell in charge. That said, United’s newfound confidence could make it a tight contest. Spurs 2-1 Man Utd.

The post Spurs v Man Utd predictions and preview appeared first on Squawka News.



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