Man Utd vs Tottenham (7:30 PM, February 7th): A test night for Michael Carrick

Man Utd - Tottenham (19h30, 7/2): Đêm thử lửa của Michael Carrick - 1

Manchester United will be looking for their fourth consecutive win under interim manager Michael Carrick when they host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on the evening of February 7th, in the 25th round of the Premier League.

This is the first time the two teams have faced each other since last August, when Matthijs de Ligt scored the equalizer in the 96th minute, securing a 2-2 draw for the Red Devils in North London. Since Ruben Amorim's departure and Carrick's arrival, Man Utd have undergone a significant transformation, winning all nine points and extending their unbeaten Premier League run to seven matches (four wins, three draws).

Man Utd - Tottenham (19h30, 7/2): Đêm thử lửa của Michael Carrick - 2 — Man Utd have won three consecutive matches under Michael Carrick (Photo: Getty).

Following impressive victories against the league leaders Arsenal and Man City, Man United continued to demonstrate their strength by overcoming Fulham 3-2 at Old Trafford last weekend, with Benjamin Sesko scoring the dramatic winning goal in the 94th minute.

Notably, Man Utd are unbeaten in all nine Premier League matches this season when they had less possession (7 wins, 2 draws), and have won all seven matches when their possession rate was below 45%. Conversely, they have only won four of their 15 top-flight matches when they had more than 50% possession (6 draws, 5 losses).

Spirits are high at Old Trafford, with Carrick's resurgent team currently sitting fourth in the Premier League table, just one point ahead of Chelsea and two points ahead of Liverpool. A win tonight would see Man United surpass last season's 42-point mark, with 13 games still to play.

A victory against Tottenham would also give the "Red Devils" their first four consecutive wins since February 2024 under Erik ten Hag. However, beating Tottenham in recent years has not been easy, as Man Utd have not won in their last six encounters with the North London side in the league (3 draws, 3 losses), their longest winless streak against Tottenham (also six matches between 1914 and 1921).

Thomas Frank and Tottenham have struggled considerably at home this season, with only Wolverhampton Wanderers (5 points) earning fewer points at home than Spurs (10 points). After a lackluster first 45 minutes against Man City in a strange atmosphere last weekend, another nightmare seemed to be unfolding in North London. However, Spurs capitalized on Man City's reduced tempo after the break to brilliantly equalize, thanks to a brace from Dominic Solanke, including a rather fortunate scorpion kick, thus salvaging a valuable point in a 2-2 draw.

Man Utd - Tottenham (19h30, 7/2): Đêm thử lửa của Michael Carrick - 3 — Tottenham came from behind to earn a point against Man City (Photo: Getty).

However, Tottenham are now on a six-game winless streak in the Premier League (four draws, two losses), their longest run since the last seven games of last season, and are currently 14th in the table, closer to the relegation zone (9 points behind) than the top five (11 points behind).

Frank's team will be playing away this weekend, and that could be an advantage as five of their seven Premier League wins this season have come away from home. Only Arsenal (24 points) and Aston Villa (21 points) have accumulated more away points than Spurs (19 points) so far.

Tottenham are also unbeaten in their last eight encounters with Man Utd in all competitions (5 wins, 3 draws); only Chelsea have a longer unbeaten streak against the "Red Devils" (12 matches between 2012 and 2017). Furthermore, Tottenham won 3-0 at Old Trafford last season, and only once in the past have they achieved consecutive away wins against Man Utd in the top league, which was in January 2014.

Force information

Manchester United will go into this weekend's match with concerns about their squad. Patrick Dorgu and Matthijs de Ligt remain sidelined due to thigh and back injuries. Midfielder Mason Mount is also unavailable after experiencing problems in recent training, meaning this match comes too soon for him.

Man Utd - Tottenham (19h30, 7/2): Đêm thử lửa của Michael Carrick - 4 — Mason Mount is not yet ready to return to play for Man Utd (Photo: Getty).

Nevertheless, manager Michael Carrick is expected to stick with his winning formula and make few major changes to the starting lineup. However, he may consider bringing Benjamin Sesko back into the starting XI after his impressive performance in the previous game. This could lead to Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, or Matheus Cunha having to give up their places.

Manchester United's bright spot is captain Bruno Fernandes, who is leading the Premier League assists charts this season with 12 assists, equaling his best single-season record (2020–2021). The Portuguese star is expected to continue playing as a central attacking midfielder, supporting the striker from behind.

On the other side of the pitch, Tottenham are facing a long injury list. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski (both knee injuries), Mohammed Kudus (thigh), Pedro Porro, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur (all hamstring injuries), Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall (both ankle injuries) and Kevin Danso (toe) are all in the process of recovery.

Dominic Solanke (fitness) and Cristian Romero (illness) were unable to play the full 90 minutes in the draw against Man City. Micky van de Ven also missed the last two games due to a minor issue. However, all three players have been confirmed available for the weekend's match. Meanwhile, Djed Spence's availability remains uncertain due to a calf injury.

Man Utd - Tottenham (19h30, 7/2): Đêm thử lửa của Michael Carrick - 5 — Micky van de Ven is ready to return to the pitch after injury (Photo: Getty).

Tottenham's number 19 striker, who has scored five goals in his last five encounters with Man Utd across all competitions, is expected to continue playing as the main striker. Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel are also vying for a starting spot, potentially playing alongside or replacing Randal Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons.