Tottenham v Man United match preview
Thomas Frank will encounter one of his star players from former club Brentford as the Tottenham manager aims to earn a first home league win with his new side since August 16 when Manchester United are the visitors on Saturday.
Bryan Mbeumo has three goals and an assist in his last four games for United, having moved to Old Trafford from the Bees for an initial £65 million in July.
“I’m not surprised,” Frank replied when he was asked about the Cameroon forward finding his form after a difficult individual and collective start to the season with United.
“When you work with someone for six years, you get to know them. For me, he has been their best offensive player.
“He is the perfect example of a front player in terms of attitude. I wish him all the best, but not [against us].”
Tottenham beat Copenhagen 4-0 at home in the Champions League on Tuesday but finished on an expected goals total of 0.1 in their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League three days earlier.
That display will give confidence to United, who started the weekend eighth and level on points with Spurs after a 2-2 draw at second-bottom Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
“We need to improve some clear things that we did wrong,” manager Ruben Amorim told MUTV after being named Premier League manager of the month for October.
“We know how strong [Tottenham] are at set-pieces – that is going to be massive. We are prepared for another fight, but we are confident we can win.”
Mbeumo won the player of the month award. “I’m really happy,” responded Amorim. “He deserves it.
“He can do so much better – that is the message I want to give to Bryan, and to tell him that [the award is for] last month, so that doesn’t matter. Let’s focus on the next one.
“We are improving as a squad. We are winning games because we are training better and understanding the game better.”
Tottenham v Manchester United team news
Ben Davies (thigh), Archie Gray (calf), Dominic Solanke (foot) and Lucas Bergvall (head) are out for Tottenham alongside Yves Bissouma, while Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are long-term absentees.
Djed Spence and Mohammed Kudus suffered knocks before the win over Copenhagen, with the defender coming off the bench and the winger not involved.
Frank says Kudus, who has contributed four assists and a goal since arriving from West Ham for £55 million, is “touch and go”.
Brennan Johnson was dismissed against Copenhagen but the forward’s ban will only be enforced in Europe.
Centre-back Lisandro Martinez is closing in on a comeback for United following a long-term knee injury.
“It’s one game every week and then a little bit of luck,” Amorim said of his current good fortune with injuries.
“Sometimes you have problems with players with knocks [rather than] soft tissues. You never know what is going to happen in the next training session.
“If you play with intensity in training, something can happen. We try to do everything well, but the big reason is [we have only] one game every week.
“You can give one extra day to players who you know could struggle in the next training session.”
Tottenham v Man United predicted starting lineups
Tottenham: Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Brennan Johnson, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Randal Kolo Muani
Man United: Senne Lammens, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Amad Diallo, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha
How to watch Spurs v Man United: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Saturday is at 12:30 GMT (07:30 ET / 04:30 PT), with live TV coverage in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through discovery+, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Tottenham v Man United stats
In their first 10 matches of the season, Tottenham have conceded half as many goals as United (16-8)
No side has lost more home Premier League matches in 2025 than Tottenham (9)
Only in 1994 and 2003 (10 each) have Spurs reached double figures for home defeats in a year in the league
Spurs are unbeaten in their last seven games against United in all competitions, with their five wins along the way including each of the last four meetings
The last team to win five in a row against United were Liverpool between 2000 and 2002
United are unbeaten in four league games (W3 D1), matching their best run since Amorim’s appointment in November 2024
Only Liverpool (156) have had more shots in the top flight this season than United (153), with no side having more shots on target (54)
The 66.7% of their shots to have come from inside the box (102/153) is their highest ratio in that respect since 2012/13 (66.8%)
Only against Southampton and Brighton (5) has Bryan Mbeumo scored more Premier League goals than the forward has against Spurs, with three of his four against them coming at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Bruno Fernandes has produced assists in the United captain’s last two away games and could set up goals in three away appearances in a row for the first time since November 2020
Spurs v Manchester United prediction
Tottenham’s 1-0 win in a drab Europa League final in May was their fourth victory over United last season, including three clean sheets, which goes some way towards explaining why stats compilers Opta make a Spurs win the likeliest outcome, with a 47.5% chance.
United have won one of their first six away games in all competitions in 2025/26, but three of those have finished all square after 90 minutes, making the outside bet of the draw – coupled with Tottenham’s struggles in the top flight at home and European exertions on Tuesday – look good value here.
While United have scored twice in each of their last four games, Tottenham have the joint second-best defensive record in the division so far, making 1-1 appeal.
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