Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Manchester United Prediction: Spurs Want To Try New Experiments

Son Heung-min, Tottenham Hotspurs striker (photo: x @SpursOfficial)

JAKARTA - A place in the semifinals of the EFL Cup will be up for grabs on Thursday night 19 December when Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United in North London for a quarter-final match.

Both teams entered this match with high enthusiasm after picking up maximum points in the Premier League last weekend, where Spurs scored five goals against Southampton and the Red Devils claimed victory over injured rivals, Manchester City, 2-1.

Ahead of this match, Ange Postecoglou is under increasing pressure in Tottenham's coaching chair following a series of disappointing results with just one win in eight games in all competitions - a surprising 4-0 win at Man City's home in the Premier League.

However, Spurs bosses received a much-needed reaction from their players - despite fighting Southampton's side who were struggling at the bottom of the table - when they travel to St Mary's on Sunday, with James Maddison (2), Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr all scoring in the first half in a brilliant 5-0 win - a result that ultimately proved to be Russell Martin's last blow.

Only Chelsea (37) have scored more goals in the top league than Tottenham (36) so far this season, and the North London team is currently 10th in the table after 16 games, although they are only five points adrift of the top four.

The tough match with leaders Liverpool and Nottingham Forest who are in fourth place will soon face Spurs, but they will first have to turn their attention to Thursday's EFL Cup game with Man United as they try to reach the semifinals for the third time in five years.

Tottenham secured a 2-1 win over Man City in the fourth round of the EFL Cup at the end of October, and to come out victorious against Man United, they had to end four games without a win at home. Spurs have never suffered a record without a longer win in front of their own supporters since 2008, the same year they last won the main trophy (EFL Cup).

After suffering two consecutive defeats in the Premier League to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, Man United have since bounced back under new head coach Ruben Amorim and have won their last two away games with a score of 2-1 against Viktoria Plzen and rivals Man City.

Three days after claiming an important Europa League win over Plzen in the Czechs, the Red Devils appear to be losing at the Etihad, but they produce a stunning comeback at the end of the game, with Bruno Fernandes' penalty in the 88th minute and Amad Diallo's incredible winning goal in the 90th minute turning things around dramatically.

While Man United are still slumped 13th in the Premier League standings, there are only six points apart from the top four and Amorim hopes that the "confidence" shown by his players against Man City can be brought to their upcoming matches.

The six-time EFL Cup champion, Man United will now shift their focus to Thursday's journey to Spurs they have yet to beat in their last four meetings, recently suffering a 3-0 loss at home in the Premier League in September under former boss Erik ten Hag.

However, the Red Devils are confident it will be successful in North London as they have won each of their last six EFL away games with an aggregate score of 14-1 - beating Chelsea and Man City during this period - while they have scored 12 goals in just two games in this year's competition - beating Barnsley 7-0 and Leicester City 5-2 at Old Trafford.

Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham will face a sixth suspension of seven games after a club appeal over a long ban was rejected by the FA on Tuesday, while Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert (all hamstrings), Guglielmo Vicario (juggles) and target Moore (sick) are all still in treatment.

Destiny Udogie is doubtful because of the thigh problems he suffered against Southampton. Djed Spence impressed at his first competitive start to Spurs last time - 884 days after joining the club - and the right-back may be forced to play on the opposite side of the defense if Udogie is not fit to perform.

Yves Bissouma is available to vote after undergoing a one-time ban, and the midfielder is set to be recalled, while target Johnson can return at the expense of Kulusevski or Dominic Solanke. Replacing the last one - who has scored only one goal in his last eight games - is likely to see Son transferred to the center forward position.

As for Man United, they are concerned about Mason Mount's (leg) and Noussair Mazraoui's (bangs) fitness being forced out of Sunday's win over Man City in the Premier League. While Mount is expected to miss, Mazraoui will be judged before kickoff.

Luke Shaw remains in the treatment room as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, while co-back Jonny Evans has missed Man United's last six games due to unnamed issues and remains doubtful.

Amory has a big decision to make about whether to recall Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to his squad of matches after the two were dropped last weekend. The two attackers are competing to return, but a place as a starter is not guaranteed for both players.

After regularly rotating his Red Devils team since arriving at the club, Amorim is expected to refresh his starting XI once again, with players like Leny Yoro, Total Malacia, Casemiro, Antony and Joshua Zirkzee all struggling to get started.

Player Composition Forecast

Tottenham Hotspur:Forster; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son

Manchester United: Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Dalot, Mainoo, Casemiro, Malacia; Diallo, Fernandes; Zirkzee.