Tottenham and Manchester United restart their Premier League campaigns with a mouthwatering clash under the Friday night lights.
With the Premier League season back underway, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both have their eyes on Champions League qualification.
Spurs sit eighth in the table, but can close the gap on United to one point with a win in north London as the race for the top four - or top five, given Manchester City's Uefa ban - heats up.
It has not been a stellar season for either club, but both coaches will be confident of a strong run-in with key players returning - though neither can afford a loss in north London to kick things off.
Date, time and venue
Tottenham vs Manchester United is scheduled for an 8.15pm BST kick-off on Friday, June 19, 2020.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host the behind-closed-doors match, with no fans due to be present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass for £9.99.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app, with a mobile month pass available for £5.99.
Team news
Tottenham: With Mourinho short of options before the shutdown, the Portuguese coach now has a near fully-fit squad to call on with the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son back.
Dele Alli is suspended and Troy Parrott may be lacking fitness after returning from injury, but Mourinho has plenty of selection issues elsewhere.
Man United: Solskjaer is able to call on Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba, who were both out with long-term injuries before the shutdown.
United have an embarrassment of riches in midfield, and all eyes will be on whether Pogba is immediately paired with Bruno Fernandes as Solskjaer looks to build a promising partnership between them.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-1 Manchester United
While both Mourinho and Solskjaer can welcome back some key players, there is no real way of telling which side will be more up to speed. Spurs and United have lost recent warm-up friendlies against Norwich and West Brom respectively, so it may be the case that both managers may privately settle for a point from a tough fixture.
It is likely the game will be won by whichever manager makes the most telling second-half substitutions - and United could edge it in terms of options.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
United have 92 wins to Spurs; 52, with 48 draws between them.
The Red Devils have won the last two meetings - 2-1 at Old Trafford in December, and 1-0 in north London last season.
Betting odds and tips
- Spurs to win: 2/1
- Man Utd to win: 6/4
- Draw: 5/2
- Under 2/5 goals: Evens
- 1-1 draw: 13/2
Odds courtesy of Betfair Exchange. Click here to find out more.
The state of play
Dan Kilpatrick, Spurs correspondent
Tottenham's season was rapidly unravelling pre-lockdown, as six games without a win left them out of the FA Cup and Champions League and seven points behind Chelsea.
In the absence of injured quartet Kane, Son, Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Sissoko, Mourinho publicly gave his side scant hope of a turnaround and the mood was souring. Fast-forward three months and Mourinho has a fully fit squad, leaving Spurs among the biggest beneficiaries of the break and eyeing a late surge into the Champions League places.
Chairman Daniel Levy has warned about the devastating impact of the lockdown on all clubs and Spurs are have taken out a £175million loan to cover predicted losses of over £200m, which could yet hamper their ability to compete long-term with their top-six rivals.
A number of social-distancing breachers and the ill-considered furloughing of non-playing staff overshadowed the club's remarkable work in transforming their stadium into an NHS hospital.
James Robson, Manchester correspondent
The next few weeks will define Solskjaer’s reign.
Lockdown came at a point when United produced their best form of an otherwise desperate season. And with top four, the FA Cup and Europa League still to play for, Solskjaer’s first full campaign has the potential to end on a hugely positive note.
Conversely, failure to win a trophy or qualify for the Champions League will raise fresh questions about his suitability to do the job particularly with a certain Mauricio Pochettino still on the market.
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