Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United 1/12/13

With a heavy defeat last time out Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to reconfirm their place as a top four contender this season but with David Moyes’ Manchester United side looking to keep pace with the front runners this season, will they be able to give Andre Villas Boas further despair?

After suffering a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City last weekend, Tottenham will be looking to bounce back and overcome a Manchester United side that have equally failed to impress in the Premier League this season.

Following their humiliation at the hands of City, Villas Boas told his squad that they should be “ashamed” of their performance and inability to match the quality that Manchester City displayed but with a European clash between their defeat and their home tie with Manchester United, they will be hoping that they can put the result behind them with a victory in Norway to boost belief that they can overcome their Premier League opponents.

The knowledge that playmaker Christian Eriksen is unlikely to feature due to an ankle injury picked up while playing for Denmark will be a crushing blow to the hope that the London side will be able to play behind the attacking line of their opponents but with almost a full strength squad selection possible for the fixture, subject to no further injuries during their European tie this week, Villas Boas will be looking to take all three points in the Premier League match up.

United boss David Moyes will also be keen to get back to winning ways following the clubs 2-2 draw with newly promoted Cardiff last time out after the club failed to remain focused and allowed Cardiff to steal a point in a game he believes his side should have won.

Questions have been raised about Moyes’ ability to handle the pressure of being at the helm at Old Trafford and the clubs poor start to the season has not done much to silence those comments but the former Everton boss is keen to win over the United fans with a strong push during the remaining part of the season with an eye on Champions League qualification and a belief that the club can still challenge leaders Arsenal for top spot despite being seven points behind.

Boosted by the news that Michael Carrick has extended his contract with the club, Moyes will be looking to head to German this Wednesday and register a victory at the expense of Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Champions League, offering a much needed boost to his squad morale.

With Tottenham hovering around the mid-table area of the league and Manchester United trying to break into the top four, the game offers a spectacle that both sides will be determine to win but with a European clash between now and their meeting December 1st interruptions to squad selection should either side suffer any injuries.

Tottenham vs Manchester United Prediction

With so much on the line for both sides it’s hard to see that either side will enter into this clash with less than 3 points in mind but as both clubs push to take the points there will be openings for the attackers to punish their ambition.

Bookmarkers are pricing this one evenly at 13/8 for both sides and a draw priced at 9/4.

Free English Premier League Pick: Score Draw