Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Wednesday night and will welcome former manager Jose Mourinho back to the ground.
Despite leading the Red Devils to the Europa League trophy in his first season, things went downhill after that quickly for the manager. Mourinho was sacked this time last season after Liverpool defeated Manchester United 3-1 at Anfield.
Manchester United will aim to spoil Mourinho’s homecoming and put to end a three-match winless run in all competitions. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team drew against Premier League rivals Sheffield United and Aston Villa while losing in the Europa League versus Astana.
Spurs have had a sudden turnaround under Mourinho, who took over for Mauricio Pochettino during the international break in November. Tottenham Hotspur are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions with Mourinho winning all three matches that he has overseen.
Tottenham go into the midweek fixture at Old Trafford in sixth place in the league and could crack the top five with a victory. Manchester United could also crack the top five with a win and results going their way elsewhere. The Red Devils enter midweek in 10th place.
How have Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur fared post-Sir Alex?
Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have met 14 times in all competitions. Twelve of those fixtures came in the Premier League.
Manchester United are unbeaten in nine of the last 14 matches versus Tottenham Hotspur. The Red Devils have posted a 7W-2D-5L record since the retirement of the legendary manager.
The home side has won eight of the 14 matches between the two long-time rivals. However, the last three games were won by the away team. That includes a friendly last summer played on a neutral ground.
The away side won both Premier League meetings between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur last season. Spurs claimed a 3-0 win at Old Trafford while Manchester United won 1-0 in London.
Injuries ahead of Wednesday night’s match
Solskjaer has eight first-team players listed as injured. Eric Bailly remains sidelined due to a knee injury and won’t play until later this season if at all. Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Diogo Dalot, and Marcos Rojo are all ruled out as well.
Meanwhile, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial are out of the fixture. Scott McTominay will make the team. Nemanja Matic will undergo a late fitness test.
Spurs are without three long-term injured players including Hugo Lloris, Erik Lamela, Michel Vorm and Ben Davies.
