Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United: EFL Previews, and Predictions

On Thursday night, Tottenham Hotspur will host Manchester United in a quarterfinal matchup in North London. The winner advances to the EFL Cup semifinals.

Both sides are riding high heading into this matchup after securing all three Premier League points last weekend—Spurs 5-0 over Southampton and United earning the victory over injured rivals Manchester City.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou was feeling the heat after a dismal streak of only one win in eight games (D3 L4) in all competitions, the Premier League's surprising 4-0 victory over Man City.

The Spurs boss was finally satisfied with his team's performance on Sunday when they traveled to St. Mary's to face Southampton, who are currently in last place in the league. James Maddison (2), Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, and Pape Matar Sarr scored in the first half of a 5-0 thrashing, and Russell Martin's season ended.

Tottenham, based in North London, is in tenth place in the league after sixteen games, only five points behind the top four. Only Chelsea, who are flying, have scored more goals in the Premier League this season than Tottenham, who have 36.

Spurs will face leaders Liverpool and fourth-placed Nottingham Forest in upcoming difficult matches. Still, they must focus on Thursday's EFL Cup match against Manchester United to reach the semifinals for the third time in five years.

Tottenham defeated Manchester City 2-1 in the EFL Cup quarterfinals at the tail end of October; to advance to the semifinals against Manchester United, they must break their four-game home losing streak. The last time Spurs won a significant prize was in 2008 when they also won the EFL Cup. Since then, they have not gone longer without a home victory.

Under new head coach Ruben Amorim, Manchester United have recovered from consecutive Premier League losses to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. They have won their past two away games, Viktoria Plzen and rivals Man City, by scores of 2-1.

The Red Devils appeared destined to lose at the Etihad three days after achieving a crucial Europa League victory over Plzen in Czechia. However, they staged an incredible late comeback, with a penalty by Bruno Fernandes in the 88th minute and a magnificent winner by Amad Diallo in the 90th minute, dramatically turning the game around.

Even though United are now in 13th position in the Premier League, they are just six points off the playoff spots, so Amorim will hope that his players can maintain the "belief" they showed against Man City in their next matches.

Man Utd, winners of six English Football League cups, will turn their attention to Thursday's trip to Tottenham, a team they have lost to four times in a row, most recently in a humiliating 3-0 home loss in September under previous manager Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils, on the other hand, have every reason to be confident heading into North London. They've won their last fourteen EFL Cup away matches by an aggregate score of fourteen and a half goals, including victories over Chelsea and Manchester City. They've also scored twelve goals in just two games this season, crushing Barnsley 7-0 and Leicester City 5-2 at Old Trafford.

Tottenham Hotspur x Manchester United Team News

Several players are still out with injuries or illnesses; Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham will serve the sixth game of his seven-game suspension after the FA rejected the club's appeal regarding the length of the ban on Tuesday. Richarlison, Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), and Mikey Moore are also in the treatment room.

Destiny Udogie is questionable for Saturday's match against Southampton due to a thigh injury. If Udogie is unable to play due to injury, the Spurs may be forced to use right back Djed Spence, who excelled in his first competitive start 884 days after signing with the club.

Yves Bissouma, a midfielder who served a one-match suspension last time out, is eligible to play again and might be called upon. Dominic Solanke or Kulusevski could be benched in favor of Brennan Johnson. Son will likely be shifted to the center-forward position to replace the latter, who has scored just once in his past eight games.

United are worried about the availability of injured players Noussair Mazraoui (knock) and Mason Mount (leg) after they were substituted in Sunday's Premier League victory against Man City. Mazraoui will be evaluated before the game begins, while Mount is likely out.

While fellow defender Jonny Evans has been out for six games with an undisclosed ailment and is still a question mark, Luke Shaw is still in the locker room nursing a hamstring injury.

After benching Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford last weekend, Amorim must decide whether to include them in his matchday squad. While both attackers hope to return, the starting time is still in the air.

Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Antony, and Joshua Zirkzee are among the players vying for starting spots. This continues Amorim's practice of often rotating his Red Devils lineup since joining the club.

Our Predictions

Full time draw @ 3.75 on Sky247.ng

Three months ago, Tottenham strolled to a resounding win over Manchester United. However, with Postecoglou's squad being as inconsistent and unpredictable as they are, it's hard to see Spurs enjoying a similarly comfortable evening on Thursday.

Despite winning their past two games, Manchester United has not been performing up to par lately. However, they still have a shot of claiming a share of the spoils in the match and advancing to the semifinals on penalties.

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