Manchester United travel to White Hart Lane for their Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.
United come into the match on the back of a 2-1 aggregate victory over Celta Vigo in their Europa League Semi-Final encounter. Their last league action came against Arsenal last weekend when they tasted a bitter 2-0 defeat to Arsene Wenger’s side, who have now overtaken United having won against Stoke and Southampton since then. As it stands, United are now 6th in the league, 4 points behind Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand.
Tottenham’s previous match in the league saw them fall to a surprise 1-0 defeat to West Ham, which appeared to have ended their title hopes, and Chelsea were officially crowned champions following a win over West Brom this match day. They remain 2nd in the standings and require just 1 point from their 3 remaining games to confirm a second-place finish.
On the injuries front, United remain without long-term absentees Ibrahimovic, Rojo, Young, Fosu-Mensah, and Shaw, while they will be without Valencia and Pogba, who didn’t travel with the squad.d Pogba had to deal with a tragedy as he lost his father to illness on Friday, and it is uncertain when he’ll return to the team. Fellaini will also miss the match as he serves the final game of his three-match ban. Mourinho has already confirmed that he’ll field a weakened side but has confirmed that he’ll start De Gea and Bailly.
Tottenham, on the other hand, will remain without Rose, Winks, and Lamela, who’re all out for the long term. Pochettino’s side will also be without three youngsters Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyle Walker-Pieters, and Joshua Onomah, who have all joined their respective nations for the preparations of the upcoming Fifa Under-20 World Cup.
Although the result of this match doesn’t hold much significance to either team’s position in the league, the match holds immense importance for the hosts, who’ll be playing their last ever game at the White Hart Lane. They’ll be bidding farewell to the stadium that’s been their home for the past 115 years, and would be fired up to close the chapter with a win. If they avoid defeat in this match, they’ll go unbeaten at home for the first time since the 1964-65 season. However, Mourinho doesn’t like losing, and he’ll surely be out to avoid defeat, as that’s the highest he can target with the limited players available.
Personally, I feel that this match will be too much for the visitors, and Tottenham would edge them to gift the club and its supporters a fitting farewell to their fortress.