Tottenham are the visitors to Old Trafford on New Years Day (9:30 AM Pacific) as Manchester United return home after a successful Christmas on the road.
Tim Sherwood achieved his first victory since taking the reigns at Spurs against Stoke, who do have the second worst away record in the league, but a win is a win. He’s hardly revolutionized the way Tottenham are playing, but he’s put two upfront and tried to actually attack, so at least the Spurs fans are happy enough now with the style of play.
As for United, Christmas really couldn’t have gone any better. They showed resilience and character in a few challenging games, and turned over West Ham and Aston Villa with comparative ease, while also booking their place in the semi final of the Capital One Cup. Moyes is refusing to get carried away, which is very wise, and he will see this game as representing the biggest challenge of the festive period.
KEY MEN
Tottenham need to hope that the slightly enigmatic Adebayor is in the mood for this game, and while there is no questioning his talent, his temperament is certainly up for debate. Now he is no longer banished to the Youth team for training, he seems to be rejuvenated and has the potential to cause problems.
Aaron Lennon against Patrice Evra is certainly Totttenham’s best avenue for success here. Evra is constantly found wanting defensively against players with less pace and talent, and if the service is right to Lennon, he will cause problems. Evra’s days seem numbered under David Moyes, with the Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw rumors refusing to go away.
As for United, they will welcome back Wayne Rooney, who along with Danny Welbeck will pose a constant threat to a Tottenham defense that will be missing Jan Vertonghen and Younes Kaboul through injury.
Related News: Probable Manchester United Lineup against Tottenham
There’s rumours that United will find a place on the bench for Robin Van Persie who has returned to training after a 3 week absence. This should offer yet more encouragement to the United faithful who have seen their side string together 6 wins in all competitions. They aren’t anywhere near the level they should be at, but they are winning and that is an ominous sign for those above them. United have more or less been written off this year, which plays into their hands perfectly. This year more than any other, there is 5 or 6 teams that can realistically harbor title ambitions.
Manchester United vs Tottenham Prediction
This is 6th Vs 7th with both teams knowing victory will get them to within touching distance of the Champions League spots. As a result, you can expect Tottenham to go out to win the game, and this should hopefully make for an entertaining exhibition to help cure everyone’s New Years Eve hangovers. But, Tim Sherwood lacks big game experience, actually he lacks any game experience, so it’s got to be United to carry on their run for me… Manchester United 2 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United vs Tottenham Television
The match will be televised on NCB Sports Network on January 1, 2014 at 9:30 AM Pacific.
Manchester United vs Tottenham Highlights
The Manchester United vs Tottenham match highlights will be uploaded here, as soon as the match ends.
