Man Utd Host Tottenham in Top-four Battle

Manchester United will this evening welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford in top-four battle. Both teams had contrasting results in their last Premier League games. While the Red Devils were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by neighbours-Manchester City on Sunday and would want to bounce back as quickly as possible to keep their Champions League spot hope alive, Spurs pummelled Everton by five unreplied goals and would want to keep the momentum

 Amouthwatering encounter between two top-four rivals will take place at Old Trafford this evening, As Manchester United face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

The Red Devils fell to pieces in a 4-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City last time out, while Antonio Conte’s side put five unanswered goals past Everton.

If the cracks were not already apparent for Rangnick at Man United, they certainly are now, as amid multiple reports of discontent behind the scenes, the Red Devils were outclassed and outfought at the Etihad Stadium last weekend in a 4-1 humbling to derail Man United’s Champions League bid further.

The Red Devils were clinging onto fourth in the table but have now been surpassed by a blistering Arsenal, who also possess three games in hand, but victory for fifth-placed Man United here will see them return to the Champions League spots before the Gunners face Leicester City a day later.

There is also the small matter of the second leg of their Champions League knockout tie with Atletico Madrid to come, but having now failed to win any of their last three in all tournaments, optimism cannot be high among the Old Trafford fanbase right now.

Rangnick’s side can take some solace in the fact that they have strung together a four-match unbeaten streak at home in the Premier League – conceding only one goal in that stretch but that may count for nothing against a man with Alan Shearer’s record in his sights.

Antonio Conte is the name, inconsistency is the game. The Premier League and Serie A-winning coach has overseen a batch of impressive as well as dismal results in North London, but his side needed no second invitation to sweep aside Everton last time out.

In a very welcome sight for all Tottenham supporters, Harry Kane surpassed Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in the all-time Premier League goalscoring charts with his 175th and 176th strikes in the competition in the 5-0 Spurs’ romping of Everton.

Conte’s side have reignited their pursuit of a top-four place after claiming emphatic back-to-back Premier League wins – also putting four past Leeds and Spurs could rise back into the top four with a win at Old Trafford, but they would need to do so by a five-goal margin.

Of course, Spurs have recent experience in prevailing on the Manchester turf, and they have made a habit of winning one then losing one away from home since the turn of the year, which bodes well for them after defeat to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup earlier this month.

Man United stormed to a 3-0 win on Spurs’ turf in a game that cost erstwhile Spurs manager, Nuno Espirito Santo his job earlier in the season, but Jose Mourinho embarrassed his former club with a 6-1 victory at Old Trafford last term, and Tottenham’s recent hot streak in front of goal means that such an astonishing scoreline is not entirely beyond the realm of possibility here.

Meanwhile, facing an uphill battle to end a four-game losing streak in the Premier League, Brighton welcome Liverpool to the Amex Stadium earlier today.

The Seagulls went down 2-1 to Newcastle United last time out, while Jurgen Klopp’s side sealed their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in midweek.

It is certainly ironic to see Brighton and Liverpool locking horns at 12:30pm once again – nearly two years on from Klopp’s impassioned rant at the Amex over lunchtime games following his side’s European endeavours – but the Seagulls do not enter the contest in the best of form.

Graham Potter’s side have lost their grip on a top-half spot after a dismal run of results and could not stop the Newcastle United juggernaut at St James’ Park in a 2-1 defeat.

The Seagulls did at least manage to end a three-game streak without a Premier League goal, but a fourth successive defeat in the top flight leaves them down in 13th on the log.

The two-point gap to 10th-placed Southampton is by no means insurmountable following the Saints’ midweek loss to Newcastle United, but Potter’s side have lost their golden touch in recent weeks and have also conceded at least two goals in each of their four recent defeats.

Brighton have also picked up just one win from their last 10 Premier League matches at the Amex since the start of October – taking just two points from the last 12 on offer at home and scoring a mere 10 goals on familiar territory all season – and Liverpool are in no mood to let up.

Indeed, a 1-0 win over West Ham United last Saturday marked the Reds’ seventh triumph on the bounce in the Premier League, although they remain six points behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand, and every game is now a cup final for the quadruple-chasing visitors.

Liverpool’s seven-game winning run in the Premier League has also seen them concede a mere two goals while scoring a whopping 19, although they have failed to win any of their last three against Brighton, who managed to rescue a 2-2 draw at Anfield earlier this season.