Manchester United vs Tottenham – News and Probable Lineups

Tottenham Hotspur, currently at the bottom of the Premier League standings, will be aiming to break their winless run as they visit Old Trafford to face Manchester United, another side in the lower half of the table, this Saturday evening.

These two clubs clash eight months after the Red Devils achieved a 2-0 victory at home against Tottenham, with goals netted by Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes.

Match overview

Following a strong finish in the previous season, where Man United secured third place in the Premier League, they have only managed to gather five points from their first five matches this season, marking their joint-lowest score at this point in a top-flight campaign (equal with their total in 2014-15).

The Red Devils have not clinched a victory in their last four domestic fixtures (D2 L2), suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat at home to Brighton in the EFL Cup after leading by two goals in the first half, followed by a last-minute 1-1 draw against Fulham just before the international break, thanks to a deflected equaliser from Matheus Cunha in the 89th minute.

Currently positioned 12th in the Premier League and trailing 10 points behind Manchester City at the top, head coach Michael Carrick is not concerned about the external “noise” surrounding his role. Nevertheless, he recognizes that the tiniest margin for error exists as he aims to reignite the pragmatic style that helped them succeed in the previous campaign.

For Carrick to initiate a rapid improvement, defensive enhancements are essential since the Red Devils have recorded only one clean sheet in seven matches this season, which was a 4-0 win against Sabah in the Champions League, while conceding at least two goals in four of those encounters.

Man United also find themselves victorious in just one of their last nine matches against Tottenham (D3 L5), though that solitary victory was the two-goal triumph at Old Trafford last season; their last consecutive wins over Tottenham came between March and October 2022.

For the first time since the 2008-09 season, Tottenham finds themselves at the bottom of the Premier League table after five matches, and they are among only three teams (alongside Bournemouth and Fulham) still searching for their inaugural top-flight victory this season.

Tottenham finally ended their four-match scoreless drought in the Premier League by netting two late goals against Aston Villa prior to the international break, but it wasn’t enough for a successful comeback as they succumbed to a 3-2 loss at home, marking their third defeat in the league this season.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi has accepted full accountability for Tottenham’s challenging start but has called upon his revamped squad, featuring over £300m in new summer signings, to demonstrate greater “fight” and to enhance their defensive capabilities after conceding “unacceptable” and “stupid” goals against Villa.

The ongoing decline of Tottenham is highlighted by their tally of just 18 Premier League points in 2026, the lowest for any team remaining in the division throughout the calendar year.

Moreover, extending their winless streak to six matches this weekend would mark only the fourth time in the club’s history that they opened a league season without securing a victory in their first six games.

Nonetheless, Tottenham can find solace in their recent form, having won three of their last four away Premier League matches, while De Zerbi is on a quest to become only the fifth Premier League manager to win his first two visits to Old Trafford, having achieved victory there as Brighton’s boss in 2023 (3-1).

Team News

For Manchester United, Manuel Ugarte (knee), Matthijs de Ligt (back), and Tom Heaton (thigh) are still out of contention, but there is optimism that Amad Diallo (ankle) could return to the matchday squad and make his first appearance of the season.

During the international break, Benjamin Sesko (shin), Patrick Dorgu (hamstring), and Noussair Mazraoui (back) sustained injuries and are now considered doubtful, while Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, and Karl Darlow are all set to have unspecified concerns evaluated.

Summer addition Carlos Baleba is expected to be available for his long-anticipated debut, either starting or coming off the bench, and may compete with Mainoo – if fit – Youri Tielemans, and Andrey Santos for a midfield position behind captain Fernandes, who has scored three of his four goals against Tottenham at Old Trafford.

On the Tottenham side, Dejan Kulusevski (knee/fitness), Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert (both knee), and Mykhaylo Mudryk (ankle) are all unavailable, while Micky van de Ven (finger) and Jan Paul van Hecke (foot) are both doubts after picking up injuries while on international duty with the Netherlands.

Marcos Senesi and Tosin Adarabioyo are potential candidates to start in central defence if either Van de Ven or Van Hecke cannot play, while Archie Gray is anticipated to fill the right-back position once more in the absence of Pedro Porro (thigh).

Mohammed Kudus will be eager to secure his first start of the season, but De Zerbi might opt for former Manchester City players Savio and Omar Marmoush on the flanks, while Dominic Solanke – who has netted three goals in his last four matches against Manchester United – is likely to lead the attack.

Manchester United probable starting XI:

Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Mainoo, Tielemans; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford; Wedge

Tottenham Hotspur probable starting XI:

Kinsky; Gray, Senesi, Van de Ven, Robertson; Gallagher, Tonali, Fernandes; Savio, Solanke, Marmoush

Manchester United will be keen to take the initiative first to exploit a concerning statistic that reveals Tottenham has failed to win any of their last 48 matches across all competitions when conceding the opening goal, with 37 of those occurring in the Premier League (D8 L29).

Both teams are grappling with defensive weaknesses and are managing escalating injury issues, yet the Red Devils are anticipated to possess the attacking strength needed to outscore their visitors and secure a return to winning ways on home soil, leaving De Zerbi’s squad at the bottom.