Who: Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Content: English Premier League
Location: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
When: Saturday 12:30pm (12:30 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 10:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
A rejuvenated Manchester United side will be looking to extend caretaker manager Michael Carrick’s perfect start to their fourth win in four games against injury-hit Spurs.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Carrick’s United side beat Fulham 3-2 on Sunday, leaving the Red Devils fourth on 41 points, behind Manchester City and league leaders Arsenal.
Spurs sit in 14th place with 29 points, without a win in six Premier League games, but are also unbeaten in their last four games, including a stunning comeback from two points behind in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
Tottenham’s misery at home has hampered their season, but five of their seven league wins this season have come on the road, with only Arsenal and Aston Villa having more away points than Spurs so far.
Tottenham have also been a bogey-prone team for United recently, failing to beat Spurs in their last eight meetings.
Carrick emphasizes importance of Munich Air disaster in United’s history
Carrick says United players need to “understand the history” of the Munich air disaster as the club prepares to mark the 68th anniversary of the tragedy.
On 6 February 1958, the United team was on its way home from a European Cup draw with Red Star Belgrade when its plane crashed in Munich after stopping briefly for refueling, killing 23 people, including 11 players and staff from the English giants.
Carrick made his comments in Thursday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Tottenham, brought forward a day to avoid clashing with Friday’s Old Trafford church service to commemorate the disaster.
Carrick, who has served United as a player, coach and manager, said: “Munich is probably the biggest part of this club’s history in terms of the tragedy itself and how the team and the football club bounced back from it and went on to succeed and everything that followed from there.”
Tottenham: ‘Certainly poses a challenge’
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, Carrick said Spurs will be a tough test for his team.
“They have some really good attackers who are going to stretch their backline and come forward and attack very well in the box, so that’s something we have to be aware of,” he said.
“In some ways it may be a little different to the games we’ve played in the last few weeks, but we’re looking forward to it. We’re in a good position. The players worked hard this week as well.”
He added that while “the three wins have been great in many ways”, United “need to stay grounded and not get carried away by what has happened so far”.
“What matters is what happens next. There are big challenges ahead, but we are looking forward to them.”
Spurs manager says Romero’s abuse was ‘addressed internally’
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank said his frank comments on social media about the club’s transfer policy were “handled internally” as he refused to confirm whether Spurs captain Cristian Romero had been disciplined.
Romero made headlines on Monday when he revealed on Instagram that he played through an illness in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with City, calling it a “disgrace” that there were only 11 healthy players left in the squad.
That view resonated with many Tottenham fans, given the north London club’s lack of transfer activity since signing Conor Gallagher on January 14, and especially considering Spurs have lost nine players to injury since the start of 2026.
But Frank said ahead of Saturday’s trip to United: “If you want to know what he meant, of course you have to ask him.”
Frank added: “(Romero) is a very passionate character and player. He wants to leave everything on the pitch, he is very ambitious and wants to win every time. He is a very passionate player.”
“When things like that happen, sometimes there’s an explosion. That’s what happened this time. It’s something we’ve dealt with internally and dealt with.”
“We’re getting closer and closer.”
Tottenham’s poor season has put Frank’s position in jeopardy, but the Spurs manager has appealed for patience, saying he has shown signs of improvement in recent games.
“As I’ve said before, I think the performance will be more competitive and consistent. Perfect? No, but we’re getting closer and closer,” he said.
Although some recent second-half performances have been encouraging, he admitted: “I think we can build more in the first half. (But) I think we’re in a position to look forward.”
direct confrontation
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have played each other 206 times, with United winning 96 times, Spurs winning 58 times and drawing 52 times.
Spurs remain unbeaten in their last eight games against United, winning five and drawing three, with their most important victory coming in May’s 1-0 win in the Europa League final.
united team news
Patrick Dorg remains sidelined with a hamstring injury after scoring in the 3-2 win over Arsenal, but Carrick said Matthijs de Ligt and Mason Mount are close to returning but will miss the game against Tottenham.
Expected lineup:
Ramence (GK). Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw. Casemiro, Mainu. Diallo, Fernandes, Cunha. Mbeumo
tottenham team news
Frank will have to contend with a long injury list, with Kevin Danso, Richarlison, Pedro Polo, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohamed Kudus, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison all sidelined.
Dominic Solanke scored twice in last weekend’s win over City, making his return from a long injury spell, but he limped off in the second half of Sunday’s game and was once again a concern for Spurs.
Defender Micky van de Ven has returned to training and is available for selection. Romero and Jed Spence are also expected to be declared fit to play after recovering from illness and calf issues.
Expected lineup:
Vicario (GK); Spence, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogi. Bisouuma, Gallagher. Odbert, Simmons, Kolo Muani. Solanke
