Manchester United vs Tottenham: Casemiro and Martinez return while Werner makes Spurs debut as Red Devils look to avoid 10th defeat of season

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Updated: 15:34, 14 Jan 2024

Follow all of the action as Manchester United welcome Tottenham to Old Trafford hoping to put an end to their misery this season. 

The Red Devils finished last year with a defeat to Nottingham Forest which left them nine points off the Premier League’s top four. 

Erik ten Hag continues to come under criticism for results and a big win is desperately needed to boost morale in the camp. 

They face a tough task against Spurs though, with Ange Posteoglou’s side’s form on the up, winning four of their last five league games.

Kick-off at Old Trafford is scheduled for 4:30pm.  The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. Man United XI: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot, Eriksen, Mainoo, Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund. Subs: Bayindir, Martinez, Casemiro, Antony, Heaton, Pellistri, McTominay, Kambwala, Forson Tottenham XI: Vicario, Porro, Skipp, Romero, Udogie, van de Ven, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Johnson, Richarlison, Werner. Subs: Dragusin, Gil Salvatierra, Emerson, Forster, Austin, Alonso, Donley, Dorrington.

Follow our live match blog below for regular updates…

Man United vs Tottenham: Team news IN FULL

Man United XI: Onana, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot, Eriksen, Mainoo, Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund.

Subs: Bayindir, Martinez, Casemiro, Antony, Heaton, Pellistri, McTominay, Kambwala, Forson

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Porro, Skipp, Romero, Udogie, van de Ven, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Johnson, Richarlison, Werner.

Subs: Dragusin, Gil Salvatierra, Emerson, Forster, Austin, Alonso, Donley, Dorrington.

Man United vs Tottenham: Team news

Big returns for the home side, as Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez are both named on the bench after recovering from injury.

Man United vs Tottenham: Team news

Spurs have thrown a spanner in the United plans - Romero starts but Kulusevski misses out completely.

Postecoglou on team news

"From the last game, Ben Davies came off with a hamstring injury and we’re probably looking at a month or so for him.

"Gio Lo Celso, similar although it’s a bit harder to diagnose where he’s at at the moment. We’re sending him for further tests to see exactly what the issue is. He’ll miss this weekend.

"Dane Scarlett’s picked up an injury in training too and will miss out.

"The only one who’s joined the main group today is Romero, everyone else injured is training away from the main group. He’s just started training, so this weekend might be a bit quick."

Man United vs Tottenham

No team has won more home games against an opponent in Premier League history than Manchester United’s 24 against Tottenham (level with Arsenal against Everton).

Manchester United finished 2023 with defeat against Nottingham Forest. They haven’t lost their last game of a calendar year, and then their first league game of the following year since 2011-12 (defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United).

Manchester United vs Tottenham: Team news

Andre Onana will be in goal for United as he plays his final game before heading to compete at AFCON with Cameroon.

The goalkeeper delayed his exit for the tournament to play a part in this clash instead.

Sofyan Amrabat is already in camp with Morocco and won’t feature while Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount and Victor Lindelof remain out.

Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw could come back from their injuries and Antony, Amad Diallo and Anthony Martial are all set to be assessed.

As for Tottenham, Timo Werner could make his debut for the club.

Ben Davies has picked up an issue and isn’t expected to be fit to play.

With Cristian Romero out too, Micky van de Ven may be forced into the starting line-up earlier han expected after his long-term absence.

Captain Heung-min Son is away at the Asia Cup and Spurs will also be missing Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr for the coming weeks.

Man United vs Tottenham

Tottenham are looking to complete their first league double over Manchester United since the 1989-90 campaign, having won 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the reverse fixture in August. None of the last 17 Premier League meetings between Manchester United and Tottenham at Old Trafford have finished level, with the Red Devils winning 13 of these (L4).

Look who's here!

United's home clash with Tottenham marks Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first live game since his 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils was confirmed.

The British billionaire met the players and Erik ten Hag in midweek and has arrived to meet the Old Trafford faithful.

His partners Sir David Brailsford and Jean Claude Blanc have already attended a couple of Man United games, but this will be Ratcliffe's first as a part of Man United.

Manchester United vs Tottenham: More misery?

Should United lose at the weekend, they will have reached 10 losses in a Premier League season for the fifth time ever.

And they would have done so in just 21 games.

Their nine defeats already this campaign is as many as they had for the whole of last season, proving how far off the mark they have been.

The four occasions where United have lost 10 games in the top-flight came in 2013/14, 2015/16, 2018/19 and 2021/22.

In all but one of those, they sacked a manager during the season.

So that doesn’t bode well for Ten Hag who will be feeling the pressure should he reach 10 losses at just over the halfway point of the campaign.

Hello and welcome

Manchester United host Tottenham in the pick of the Premier League's Sunday offerings.

The Red Devils ended 2023 with a defeat to Nottingham Forest which has left them nine points off Arsenal in fourth.

To add insult to injury, Chelsea's win over Fulham yesterday has seen Erik ten Hag's men slip to ninth in the Premier League table.

Spurs meanwhile can leapfrog neighbours and rivals Arsenal to reclaim a place in the top four with a victory.

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