A place in the last four of the EFL Cup is up for grabs on Thursday night when Tottenham Hotspur welcome Manchester United to North London for a quarter-final showdown.
Both teams enter this contest on a high after picking up maximum points in the Premier League last weekend, with Spurs hitting five past Southampton and the Red Devils claiming the bragging rights over wounded rivals Manchester City.
Ange Postecoglou was coming under increased pressure in the Tottenham dugout following a disappointing run of just one win in eight games across all competitions (D3 L4) – a surprise 4-0 triumph at Man City in the Premier League. However, the Spurs boss got a much-needed reaction from his players – albeit against a struggling Southampton outfit at the foot of the table.
After suffering back-to-back Premier League defeats 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 by a 2-1 scoreline against Viktoria Plzen and rivals Man City.
Although Man United are still languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table, they will hope that the “belief” shown by his players against Man City can be carried over into their upcoming fixtures.
Tottenham cruised to victory in their last meeting with Man United three months ago, but given the unpredictability and inconsistency of Postecoglou’s side, it is difficult to envisage Spurs having a similarly enjoyable evening again on Thursday.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
