Mauricio Pochettino’s men were beaten 1-0 by West Ham United last Friday, a result which all but ended their Premier League title hopes. It was a disappointing outcome for the north London outfit, whose hopes of securing the championship crown may be officially over by the time they take to the field, but this has still been another impressive campaign for a team who only rank in sixth spot for wage bill and budget. They will now be keen to finish the season strongly, starting with this showdown against United.
The Red Devils also suffered defeat last time out, as Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners at the Emirates Stadium. Jose Mourinho told reporters after the match that he is focusing his attention on the Europa League, with the Portuguese describing his side's chances of finishing in the top four as "impossible". That is not quite true from a mathematical point of view, but United are clearly prioritising the continental competition in the final couple of weeks of 2016/17, which is something of a risky strategy.
Tottenham will again have to make do without Danny Rose (knee), Erik Lamela (hip) and Harry Winks (ankle) for their final ever match at White Hart Lane. Pochettino has switched between 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-2-1 formations throughout the 2016/17 campaign, with the Argentinian likely to favour the latter shape on Sunday given that central midfielder Mousa Dembele is available for selection once more. Son Heung-min could be the man to make way for the Belgium international, with Eric Dier likely to drop into the backline should Pochettino opt for a three-man defence. Kyle Walker, who was poor against West Ham and has been heavily linked with a transfer in recent weeks, could be replaced at right-back by Kieran Trippier.
Mourinho made wholesale changes to his starting XI for last weekend’s clash with Arsenal at the Emirates and may do the same again on Sunday. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (knee), Marouane Fellaini (suspension), Ashley Young (hamstring), Luke Shaw (foot), Tim Fosu-Mensah (shoulder) and Marcos Rojo (knee) will play no part at White Hart Lane, while Axel Tuanzebe could be in line for his second Premier League start after impressing at right-back against the Gunners. United have still not found the back of the net against a fellow top-six side away from home this season, but Mourinho is unlikely to significantly change his approach in search of a goal here.
Taking everything into account, it is probably worth backing Tottenham to come out on top this weekend. Pochettino’s side are so dominant at White Hart Lane – they have won 20 and drawn two of their 22 matches at their home stadium this term – and United will probably be fatigued after Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Celta Vigo. A home win to nil could therefore be the way to go in this one.
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