With Son Heung-min out for the Asian Cup, the two teams’ combined best 11s have been revealed. Tottenham has seven more players.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will face off in the 21st round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) season at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on April 15 at 1:30 p.m. ET. Currently, Tottenham is in fifth place with 12 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses (39 points), while United is in eighth place with 10 wins, 1 draw and 9 losses (31 points).
It’s the biggest matchup of the round, but these are two teams that aren’t operating at 100% capacity. Spurs are missing key players like James Maddison, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Giovanni Lo Celso, and Ben Davies due to injury, while Son Heung-min, Pape Sarr, and Yves Bissouma are away at the Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations.
The situation hasn’t been good for United either. Since the start of the season, they have not been able to field a full-strength squad with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, Christian Eriksen, Tyrrell Malacia, and Mason Mount out with injuries. On top of that, Jadon Sancho left on loan to Dortmund in the winter transfer window after falling out with Van Gaal.
Recently, however, key players such as Casemiro and Martinez have returned from injury and trained. In his official press conference, Van Gaal said: “A lot of players are back on the training field this week. That’s very good news. Long-term absentees like Casemiro and Lisandro are back, as are Shaw and Eriksen. We have a lot of options,” he smiled.
Tottenham beat United in their last meeting in the second round. A goal from Sarri on his Tottenham debut and an own goal from Lissandro Martinez secured a 2-0 win at home. A win on the road would give Spurs back-to-back victories over United for the first time in nearly 34 years, since the 1989-90 season. It would also move them into the top four, which would qualify them for the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
Against this backdrop, a combined best 11 for both teams has been revealed. English soccer statistics site WhoScored.com has compiled the best players from both teams based on their ratings. Without Son Heung-min, the attacking line was made up of Healy, Kuluczewski, Rashford, and Johnson. Tottenham had more players with seven, while United had four.