Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will trade blows on December 19 in the League Cup quarter-final, with both teams eyeing a place in the semi-final and hoping to salvage a trophy from this disappointing campaign.
Spurs scraped past Coventry City in the third round, ending a run of successive defeats in the league.
Tottenham then stunned Manchester City in the round of 16 to book a clash with the Red Devils. Tottenham got the better of the Premier League champions, ripping City apart with their pace and relentless energy.
Timo Werner ended his miserable run of firing blanks, netting the opener in the fifth minute, and Pape Matar Sarr ensured the win on 25.
As for Man United, their journey to the final eight has been more straightforward.
They stomped Barnsley at Old Trafford, trouncing the League One side 7-0. Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Christian Eriksen bagged braces.
By their round of 16 match-up against Leicester City, manager Erik ten Hag had just been dismissed, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy came to steady the ship for Ruben Amorim.
The Dutchman led United to a morale-boosting 5-2 win over the Foxes.
It’s been a turbulent past few years for United and they find themselves in yet another transition period.
Nevertheless, fans will purchase Tottenham vs Manchester United tickets from Seatsnet.com hoping to see their side mount a strong title bid under the new gaffer.
Match Preview
Last season ended on a sour note for Spurs, and many expected them to be desperate to rectify their wrongs, but inconsistency has continued to plague Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Just before the win over Man City, they had lost to struggling Crystal Palace. They have failed to build any steam this term. Lose to Ipswich at home, then beat Man City 4-0 at the Etihad.
At the time of writing, Spurs are on a three-game winless run since the league win over the Cityzens. They gave up the lead twice to let a listless Roma team secure a 2-2 draw in the Europa League.
They could only muster a 1-1 draw against ten-man Fulham and then lost to AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Former Tottenham star Jamie O’Hara followed the Cherries match, and the talkSPORT pundit was appalled by the defending. O’Hara wrote on Twitter at half-time: “That was painful to watch. It is getting so tiring watching our defending.“
The defence has been stretched, with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Ben Davies all suffering injuries.
First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is also out after undergoing surgery, leaving the team short-manned. Interestingly, Spurs have been defensively okay in general but conceded sheepish goals. It has cost them points.
However, Postecoglou has nowhere to hide. He has been backed and failed to deliver. The buck stops at him.
The Spurs boss said he always wins titles in his second season, and the League Cup is the perfect chance for him to walk the talk. A loss against United would be unacceptable, irrespective of their injury concerns.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag managed to keep his job after leading United to the FA Cup, but it was an egregious decision. Barely half of the games played, and they are out of the title race and sit in 13th place.
Amorim came in to turn the tide but found an insurmountable mountain in front of him.
His tenure opened with an uninspiring draw with Ipswich Town before consecutive wins over Bodo/Glimt and Everton raised expectations.
United fans were pulled back down to earth as Arsenal humbled them at the Emirates in their last match-up at the time of writing.
Man United forwards have been wasteful in front of goal, with Joshua Zirkzee, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, and Marcus Rashford delivering subpar performances.
The midfield remains porous despite adding steel over the summer, pointing to structural rather than personnel issues in the engine room.
Surprisingly, United’s defence has been immense despite the ongoing problems. Only two teams in the Premier League have conceded fewer goals.
However, the Red Devils look on course to finish outside the top four for the second consecutive season, and the EFL Cup might be their only chance to save face.
Thankfully, Amorim is a master in the cup, having clinched the Taca da Liga twice at Sporting CP and once during his short tenure with Braga.
Head to Head
This Jekyll and Hyde Tottenham team have consistently been second best when they came up against United in cup competitions.
Their last meeting in the EFL Cup came in 2009, and United claimed a 2-0 victory.
More recently, United were victorious when they locked horns in the FA Cup six years ago, with Ander Herrera and Alexis Sanchez leading the Reds to the win.
However, United have not beaten Spurs in their last four meetings in the league (D2, L2).
Their most recent clash saw Tottenham claim a 3-0 win at Old Trafford. They drew 2-2 last season at the same venue. Tottenham won 2-0 in the earlier fixture at home and will hope to replicate the same result on the 19th.
Best XIs
Tottenham
Fraser Forster will take the reins between the sticks with Vicario injured. He must improve his distribution, with his ball-playing skills questioned after recent outings.
The backline is thin, and Postecoglou might opt for Archie Gray at centre-back alongside Radu Dragusin and full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie.
Yves Bissouma should start at the base of midfield, with Rodrigo Bentancur suspended till December 26. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski will look to poke holes in the United rearguard.
Brennan Johnson and captain Son Heung-Min form the rest of the attack, spearheaded by Dominic Solanke.
(4-3-3): Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Udogie; Bissouma, Kulusevski, Maddison; Son, Johnson, Solanke.
Man United
Andre Onana is a firm fixture in goal with a back three of Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui in front of him.
Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro will provide the midfield balance, flanked by Tyrell Malacia and Diogo Dalot as the wing-backs in the favoured 3-4-2-1 system.
Amorim will choose his heavy hitters in attack, with Hojlund, Rashford, and Fernandes expected to take the starting berth.
(3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Mazraoui; Dalot, Casemiro, Mainoo, Malacia; Rashford, Fernandes; Hojlund.
Ticket Info
Fans can cheer their favourites live by purchasing tickets from the official channels. Those looking to book a spot in the stands at a subsidised rate should look no further than Seatsnet.com, which remains the best ticket marketplace for every League Cup fixture.
How to Watch
UK viewers can tune into games via Sky Sports, while fans in the United States and Australia can watch Carabao Cup live streams on Paramount+ and BeIN Sports, respectively.
