Manchester United legend Roy Keane claimed that Manchester United should fancy their chances against Tottenham because of a "softness" within their DNA ahead of the two sides meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs started the game with Harry Kane, Steven Bergwijn and Heung-Min Son all on the pitch, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to leave the likes of Mason Greenwood, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba in reserve.
With Lucas Moura missing the match through injury, it left Jose Mourinho with limited offensive options from the bench but his side got off to the perfect start as Bergwijn netted midway through the first half.
With the two teams tightly placed in the Premier League table, the match could be viewed as 'must-win' for both sides.
However, ahead of the game, Keane insisted Manchester United should go into it full of expectation to get three points, pointing out the enhanced strength of their bench whilst taking a shot at Spurs' 'soft DNA' in the process.
“This is a big game. Usually, when you have the period of time off, you’re allowed a couple of games to get back in the swing of it," Keane told Sky Sports.
"These teams don’t. This is a huge game for both clubs trying to get in the top four. Tottenham have to win the game, whereas United might think a draw wouldn’t be the end of the world.
"The key thing for United tonight is off the bench, it’s going to be a difficult game. Mourinho mentioned about the counter-attack, but I think the strength-in-depth off United’s bench will make the difference tonight.
“When you’re a player who has had one or two months off - you’d rather play in these (wet) conditions. For some reason, you enjoy games best when it’s raining."
He added: “I would look at United’s group today, and if I was involved in that group, I would expect to beat Tottenham.
"Tottenham, over the last 10 or 15 years, slightly different under Pochettino - where they got better - but that DNA with Spurs, there’s still a weakness to them, there’s still a softness to them.
"I fully expect United to flex their muscles tonight. If United smell that lack of confidence, they need to be ruthless tonight because they need to hunt Chelsea down and possibly Leicester.”
