Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both probably needed a long Premier League break to reflect on what’s not worked so far. In short, almost everything.
Since a 5-2 win against Ipswich, United are winless in four domestic matches, a sequence that includes an EFL Cup defeat to Brighton. A home defeat against 10-man Manchester City didn’t go down well with supporters, and stalemates on the road against Everton
and Fulham have added to the frustration of fans. Matheus Cunha’s 89th-minute equaliser salvaged a point against the Cottagers, but it leaves United languishing in 12th place.
Tottenham’s season has started as the 2025-26 campaign finished. The Londoners are winless in their first five matches, and have failed to score in four of them. Their two solitary points so far have come from 0-0 draws, highlighting their issues in front of goal. Their first goals of the season only served as consolation efforts in their most recent 2-3 home defeat to Aston Villa.
Carrick faces a significant injury crisis at Old Trafford, with Amad Diallo, Matthijs de Ligt, Tom Heaton, Manuel Ugarte, Karl Darlow, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu, and Noussair Mazraoui all sidelined. There are no reported suspensions, though the scale of absences leaves United’s squad stretched thin heading into the match. Summer signing Carlos Baleba has recently returned to action in a behind-closed-doors friendly after an ankle problem, offering some encouragement amid the injury concerns.
De Zerbi is also without key personnel, with Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Pedro Porro, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Micky van de Ven all unavailable through injury. No suspensions are recorded for the visitors, but the absences add further difficulty to an already troubled start to the season. Updates to both squads will be added closer to kick-off.
United have taken two points from their last three Premier League matches, drawing 1-1 with Fulham most recently and sharing a 2-2 draw with Everton earlier in the run. Sandwiched between those results was a 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City, and they also lost 2-3 to Brighton in the Carabao Cup. Their sole bright spot across five matches was a 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah FK, leaving them with one win, two draws, and two defeats in that spell.
Tottenham’s recent record makes for grim reading. De Zerbi’s side have lost three of their last five matches, including defeats to Aston Villa, Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, and Newcastle United. They drew 0-0 with both Everton and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, failing to score in three of those five outings. Spurs have conceded eight goals across the five matches while scoring just four.
The most recent meeting between these sides ended in a 2-0 win for Manchester United at Old Trafford in February 2026. Across the last five encounters, Tottenham have won two, United one, and one match ended in a draw, with the sides also meeting in the Europa League final in May 2025, which Spurs won 1-0. United’s home record in this fixture offers some encouragement, but Tottenham have shown they can cause problems across multiple competitions.
