Rarely has a League Cup clash seemed as tantalising as this one.
Tottenham Hotspur ended their disappointing run of results with an emphatic 5-0 win at Southampton on the weekend, ultimately resulting in the dismissal of Russell Martin as manager of the Saints.
Not to be outdone, Manchester United triumphed with two late goals in the Manchester derby that piled further misery on Pep Guardiola and ensured Ruben Amorim’s greatest moment thus far in his Old Trafford tenure. After leaving Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford out of the squad entirely, the United manager was entirely vindicated with a memorable victory.
Ange Postecoglou has been bullish this season, adamant that he always wins a trophy in his second year in charge. At times in recent weeks, amid an injury crisis, his job has seemed to be on the line. This one is huge for the Australian since a win would put Spurs in the semi-final and give them a serious chance of winning a trophy for the first time since they beat Chelsea in the final of this competition back in 2008. If United build on their excellent week and defeat the hosts, then the pressure on the Tottenham manager will be immense.
Spurs are still without goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario while Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended. Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies are also all serious doubts for the visit of Amorim’s side.
United, for their part, will likely have to do without Mason Mount after he hobbled off in the derby. The midfielder must be wondering exactly how many mirrors he broke, given his bad luck with injuries since joining the club from Chelsea. The same could be said of Luke Shaw who is out for the foreseeable future.
Click here to follow Sports betting on The Athletic and get relevant stories in your personalised feed.
Tottenham vs Manchester United odds
Odds from BetFair updated as of 9 p.m. BST Wednesday.
- Tottenham win: 13/10 (+130)
- Draw: 14/5 (+280)
- Manchester United win: 17/10 (+170)
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — London
Time: 8 p.m. GMT (3 p.m. ET), Thursday
Form guide (all competitions)
Tottenham: W-D-L-L-D
Manchester United: W-W-L-L-W
Match prediction
Tottenham 3-2 Manchester United
This match feels difficult to predict. United lost two games in a row under Amorim before responding with a win away in Europe followed by that stunning victory over City. Some Spurs fans seemed to have run out of patience with their manager before five goals in the first half on the weekend suggested the players still believe in what he is doing and things could look very different once the injury crisis has abated. With a win against United, Spurs take another step towards a trophy, which might be what keeps Postecoglou in a job and fans from turning toxic
More Premier League coverage
Marcus Rashford speaks of potential Manchester United exit: ‘I’m ready for a new challenge’
Tottenham lose appeal against Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game ban
Was Emi Martinez’s save against Nottingham Forest the best of the Premier League era?
(Photo of Son Heung-Min: Dan Istitene / Getty Images)
