Tottenham vs. Man U
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Kick off: 5:30PM
Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United at Wembley this afternoon in a match which sees Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino face the club he has been tipped to take over in the summer.
The hosts could temporarily move back into second place with a win, while United are looking to continue their recent victorious streak to stay in touch with the top four.
Pochettino may just feel a little extra pressure on his shoulders than usual heading into this one considering he has been so heavily linked with the Manchester United post.
It is not exactly a job interview – his good work with Spurs so far should speak volumes for what he would bring to the role – but should he want to take over at Old Trafford then a victory over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, one of his competitors for the job, would only enhance his credentials further.
Of course, his current focus will be entirely on Tottenham, and should they continue on their current trajectory then it is possible that Pochettino would see a move from North London to Manchester as a step in the wrong direction.
Nine points separate Pochettino’s side from league leaders Liverpool as things stand, although Spurs have been in good enough form to keep in touch and will be ready to pounce on any more slip-ups from a side that has lost their last two games.
Tottenham have won 15 of their last 18 outings across all competitions, including all three so far in 2019 without conceding a goal – scoring 11 in the process too.
A 7-0 win over Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup is the biggest reason behind those impressive statistics, but Tottenham also picked up a 3-0 triumph at Cardiff City in their most recent league outing and overcame Chelsea in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final in midweek.
Realistically the result of this match is unlikely to have a decisive bearing on which manager United go for in the summer, but if Solskjaer can somehow secure a top-four spot this term then it will surely be very difficult to look past the interim boss.
Tottenham possible XI: Lloris, Trippier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Rose, Sissoko, Winks, Alli, Eriksen, Son, Kane.
Man Utd possible XI: De Gea, Young, Lindelof, Jones, Shaw, Herrera, Matic, Lingard, Pogba, Martial, Rashford.