2021/22 English Premier League
Matchday 29
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
Old Trafford
Manchester, England
Saturday, 12 March 2022
Kick-off is at 19h30 CAT
Manchester will be looking to bounce back from their first Premier League defeat in 10 games when Tottenham arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday, March 12.
The Red Devils suffered derby-day blues on Sunday after being beaten 4-1 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Ralf Rangnick’s side have taken just one point from their last two matches following a 0-0 draw against Watford on February 26 and they are now one point shy of Champions League qualification, having played three games more than fourth-placed Arsenal.
Rangnick acknowledges United can ill-afford to drop any more points if they hope to finish in the top four, with tough encounters still to come against the Gunners, Liverpool and Chelsea.
“I didn’t actually expect Arsenal to lose at Watford so for us it’s clear, if we still want to have a chance to finish fourth at the end of the season, we can almost not drop anymore points, and we also know that in those 10 games that we have to play, there are a few other difficult ones so let’s take it game by game,” he said.
Spurs have won two of their last three outings, most recently beating Leeds 4-0 at Elland Road on February 26.
The north Londoners remain in the hunt for Champions League football as they trail arch-rivals Arsenal by six points in seventh spot and have three matches in hand on the two teams above them.
Ahead of the clash with Everton on Match 7, Antonio Conte admitted it was vital to get a full week’s worth of training with his players, something that hasn’t happened often this term due to a congested fixture list.
“For sure, if we are to find a positive situation, it’s this, from now until the end of the season, I will have more days to work with the players,” Conte said.
“We have to try to exploit this situation, more days to work with the team and to prepare for games.”
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches – 5
Man United – 3
Tottenham – 1
Draws – 1