Match Preview: Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspurs

 

Date, time and coverage: Sunday 1 December, 12:00 GMT. The match is live on BT Sport in the UK. Follow ManUtd.com's live blog and MUTV Online's radio commentary.

Form guide : The 5-0 thumping of Bayer Leverkusen was United's 11 consecutive game without defeat. The swagger and ruthlessness with which the Reds dispatched the Germans will have given the players great confidence after dropping points against Cardiff last Sunday. Spurs, on the other hand, are enduring a dismal time of late. A 6-0 humiliation at the hands of Manchester City followed a similarly tepid display in the home defeat by Newcastle, though they did muster a 2-0 Europa League win at Tromso on Thursday.

Ins and outs : David Moyes will be hoping to welcome back Robin van Persie and Nemanja Vidic after recent injury niggles but Michael Carrick is still out. Rafael is also available and will be looking to supplant in-form Chris Smalling at right-back. Spurs, meanwhile, have a relatively clean bill of health and, having left 10 first-team players at home for their trip to Tromso, could be fresher than United. However, key attacking players Emmanuel Adebayor and Christian Eriksen are both sidelined.

Betting : United’s official betting partner Bwin have the Reds priced as slight favourites at 2.50, with Spurs coming in at 2.70. However, the draw is the popular stake and is well priced at 3.30. Why not take a punt on Ryan Giggs to grab a goal on Sunday at 7.50? As you can see below, he has a pretty good record against Spurs.

Last meeting: United were denied an important victory at White Hart Lane in January when a late Clint Dempsey header cancelled out van Persie’s 25th minute opener.

Did you know: Giggs has scored 10 goals against Spurs during his Reds career and another on Sunday would mean he's netted more against them than any other opposition.

The manager: Andre Villas-Boas took the reins at White Hart Lane at the start of the last campaign. In a relatively successful first season, Spurs narrowly missed out on a Champions League place. However, 2013/14 has been distinctly more difficult for the Portuguese manager after losing talisman Gareth Bale in the summer. 

Star man: Nobody has yet filled the sizable hole left when Bale departed. However, striker Jermain Defoe has started the campaign in fine fettle, netting nine goals in all competitions.

Quote/unquote: "Spurs and United games have long been tough encounters. It won’t be easy but we will go down there and try to win the game.” – David Moyes

Whistle-blower: Wirral-born Mike Dean will be the man to officiate this midday clash. This will be Dean’s first United game so far this season; his last United match was the 2-1 home defeat in the Manchester derby in April.

Rivals watch: League leaders Arsenal make the tricky trip to Cardiff at 15:00 on Saturday, before a cluster of Sunday fixtures ensue. Liverpool’s match at Hull kicks off at 14.05, while Chelsea and Man City face Southampton and Swansea respectively in the day’s 16:10 starts.