Spurs vs United | Match Preview

This match has never had this much importance. Both the teams are alive on three fronts except the Carling Cup and Sir Alex rightly said yesterday that Spurs’ real ability to sustain the title challenge will be seen in February-March when the UEFA’s elite club tournament resumes in the knockout stages. Yes, the North London club are eight points behind table-topping Manchester United but if a team comfortably positioned at the top with a seemingly unscalable goal difference at that time can slip to fifth, then this Premier League season has reinstated our belief in the age-old statement that anything can happen in football.

And that is something Harry Redknapp must believe in if he wishes to bring the Tottenham club back on track after a disappointing loss to struggling-to-get-back-into-the-top-half Everton at Goodison Park last week. Yes, they had a comfortable 3-0 victory over Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup last weekend but there is no way you can even start to compare a League One team with 11-time-Premier-League winners who are on a 25-game unbeaten run in the league. But United have their own problems. They have come back to Manchester only twice with a win from nine away league games and this one is definitely their biggest till date. The Red Devils haven’t clearly been playing to their full potential and the Scot will be hoping they click into gear at White Hart Lane tomorrow where a win will not only help them maintain their title credentials but also keep them adrift of their local rivals who have the perfect opportunity to go top of the table for minimum a day as they face a relegation-battling Wolverhampton.

Redknapp in his latest interview clearly stated his intentions and is fully determined to deliver a blow to the Red’s title challenge by claiming all three points in Sunday’s encounter, something no one has achieved against them this season and something they themselves haven’t managed for almost a decade now. With volley-expert Scholes out due to a knee injury, Welshman Giggs is the only other player still remaining from that 2001 defeat. In Friday’s interview, he acknowledged his compatriot’s growth – his potential to cause troubles for the opponent’s defence by just running around (read over) them, a knack of scoring goals (nine in the league) and he also said that he is hoping that the speedster has a day off. Sir Alex also said that he never remembers taking United to the Lane with Spurs contending for the Championship and that is all down to the Poplar-born manager who has a done a fantastic job in converting the Lilywhites from also-rans to what they are today.

Nice work, bud! But ..you know it's me. :P

But the Champions League debutants have had a miserable record against the Old Trafford-based club. Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, they have managed only three wins out of thirty-seven games, something they will be looking to improve upon in tomorrow’s evening clash.

So do you think Tottenham Hotspur can overcome the odds and turn the tables?

“Believe”, as Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart says.

Kick-off is 16:10 GMT i.e. 21:40 IST.

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Update: This article was written yesterday evening and has been posted today. Hence there have been several changes. Manchester City were involved in a seven-goal thriller with Wolverhampton that ended in their favour. They lead Manchester United by a point, who have three games in hand. Chelsea also won now back into the top four, pending today's match.