Manchester United are preparing to face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in what is a huge game in the race for the top four.
The Reds currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, a point behind Arsenal who have three games in hand on Ralf Rangnick's men. Spurs sit two points further behind United but have two matches still to play over the Reds.
Antonio Conte's team are in high spirits after a 5-0 thrashing of Everton on Monday night. Contrastingly, United are looking to bounce back from a 4-1 defeat to Man City last weekend at the Etihad Stadium.
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Pundits are expecting a tight game on Saturday teatime, here is how they see it going.
Mark Lawrenson
"Manchester United were decent in the first half at Etihad Stadium on Sunday because they carried a threat but what we saw from them after that was basically a capitulation," Lawrenson explained to the BBC. "It was back to their own pattern of one good half and one bad half and that second half was arguably their worst of the season."
"United just cannot shake that inconsistency off and that tells me loads about the mentality of their players. They were not just outplayed by Manchester City after the break, they lost any competitive edge that they had.
"This Tottenham team are not exactly renowned for performing every week either, so I am a little bit wary of backing them to go to Old Trafford and win. We know Spurs can be flaky but the form that Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are in at the moment makes me think they will cause United all sorts of problems, if they get any sort of supply."
Score prediction: Manchester United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Michael Owen
Owen told BetVictor : "This is the start of a huge week for United, with the second leg against Atletico Madrid coming on Tuesday. The performance in the second half against City was nowhere near good enough, but there were some positives in the first.
"Jadon Sancho took his goal brilliantly and looks like he’s beginning to settle in this side. Spurs are such a hard side to predict under Conte.
"I didn’t see that 5-0 win over Everton coming, but some of Spurs’ play was superb, even if Everton did make it easy for them. The one massive positive of late though, is Harry Kane’s form.
"He’s been brilliant, both in terms of scoring and creating chances. Kane is such a complete striker and it’s great to see him get back to his best.
" Man United desperately need to win this. I can’t see much in this one, but I think United will edge it."
Score prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Paul Merson
"I don’t know when Tottenham will turn up and when they won’t. It’s hard to predict," Merson explained to SportsKeeda.
"Both Manchester United and Tottenham are very similar. If either team won this game, you wouldn’t be shocked one bit.
"That’s been their Premier League season so far. Both these teams are like a pack of revels – you don’t know what you’re going to get.
"This is a pundit’s nightmare. Whichever way I call it, this could come back to bite me.
"Dejan Kulusevski has been outstanding for Tottenham. Antonio Conte knew him from the Serie A, and it was a no-brainer of a signing.
"He’s hit the ground running in a much harder league than the Serie A. I’m still living in the past, so I expect Manchester United to turn up in big Premier League games.
"They’ll have Cristiano Ronaldo back and they do have the home advantage. Both teams are chasing the top four, and I’ll back Manchester United to get ahead in the Premier League top-four race this weekend."
Score prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
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