Tottenham vs Manchester Utd prediction: ENGLAND: EFL Cup betting tips on match 2024-12-18 20:00.
[p]Tottenham and boss Ange Postecoglou issued an emphatic response to recent criticism by blowing Southampton away on Sunday night, running out 5-0 winners with all of the goals coming before half-time. That brought a timely end to a five-match winless run across all competitions (D3, L2) as Spurs gear up for a Carabao Cup quarter-final showdown with Manchester United.[/p]
[p]Postecoglou won the Scottish equivalent of this trophy in both of his seasons in charge at Celtic, while it’s also the last piece of silverware Tottenham lifted back in 2008. And while they’ve already eliminated Manchester City on their way to this quarter-final, repeating the act against United will require them to end a four-match winless run on home turf (D2, L2) – they last endured a longer such streak coincidentally back in 2008![/p]
[p]United boss Ruben Amorim is also tasked with restoring the glory days of that year when the Red Devils were English and European champions, while in 2009 they lifted this trophy by beating Tottenham on penalties in the final. Faith that Amorim can take them back there was boosted by a stirring derby day comeback win over Manchester City (2-1), with the victory backing up the head coach’s decision to leave Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho at home.[/p]
[p]Clearly unafraid to make big calls, Amorim will now be looking to follow in the footsteps of two of his predecessors, as both Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag won this trophy in their first season at Old Trafford. The omens are not with him though, as United have failed to win any of the last four meetings with Tottenham (D2, L2), and they’ve not strung together three successive victories across all competitions yet in 2024/25![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Tottenham midfielder James Maddison comes into this fixture full of confidence having netted a brace against Southampton on Thursday, but he’s faced no opponent more than United without scoring in his career (11). The visitors’ star man at present is unquestionably Amad Diallo, who announced himself by netting the winner in the comeback against City – he’s also directly contributed to eight goals in his last nine matches (G3, A5).[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Tottenham have scored 2+ goals in five of the last six H2Hs.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]