chrissivad
Staff
- May 20, 2005
- 51,646
- 58,072
- Staff
- #1
Banner by Evolution
Bassong and King boost for hosts, Ferdinand back for champions
2[ar]
[/ar]
Tottenham and Manchester United will be hastily assessing the fitness of their international stars ahead of their meeting at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
The international break means that both clubs would only have welcomed back some of their squad as late as Friday after their long-haul exertions for their respective countries.
United winger Antonio Valencia helped Ecuador to a 3-1 win in Bolivia on Wednesday, while Park Ji-Sung has just returned from Seoul after playing in a friendly for South Korea against Australia last week.
Meanwhile, Spurs duo Wilson Palacios and Giovani Dos Santos faced each other when Honduras and Mexico came head-to-head in Mexico City in midweek, while full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto was in Africa with Cameroon.
Both managers will be cursing their luck that such a big game has fallen at such an unfortunate time in the football calendar, but both squads have enough quality to plug the gaps if necessary.
Spurs have begun the season in spectacular fashion, winning all four of their opening four games and sitting pretty in second with just goal difference keeping them behind Chelsea.
Reknapp's men have already beaten United's title rivals Liverpool at home on the opening day of the season and confidence is high in the Tottenham camp having scored 11 Premier League goals so far this term.
Notable absence
One negative for Spurs will be the notable absence of Luka Modric after he suffered a broken leg against Birmingham last time out.
The little Croatian is not expected back until the end of October, so pressure will be on Aaron Lennon to continue his flying start to the season down the right flank.
The 22-year-old is one of the only widemen to consistently trouble Red Devils left-back Patrice Evra and Redknapp will be asking the England international to run at the defender for the whole 90 minutes.
Redknapp could also be boosted by the return of defenders Sebastian Bassong (knee) and Ledley King (groin), while Michael Dawson (Achilles), Gareth Bale (knee) and midfielder Jermaine Jenas (calf) could also return from their respective lay-offs.
However, Jonathan Woodgate (groin) is expected to need another week of rest before he can be considered for first-team action.
Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes (thigh) is close to a full recovery as Redknapp begins to get the bulk of his squad back fit.
Niko Kranjcar is in line to make his Spurs debut and come in for the injured Modric after signing from Portsmouth last week.
Rio return
The champions could welcome Rio Ferdinand (thigh) back into the side after the defender came back sooner than expected.
However, John O'Shea is very doubtful after he returned from international duty with Republic of Ireland with a calf complaint.
Brazilian youngster Rafael is close to a comeback from shoulder surgery but he is unlikely to be risked, so either Wes Brown, who shrugged off a knock in England training this week, or Gary Neville should start at full-back.
Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar (thumb), Gabriel Obertan (back) and Owen Hargreaves (knee) are all long-term casualties and are not expected back until October at the earliest.
PREDICTIONS:
PREDICTIONS
Skysports.com prediction: Tottenham 1 Man Utd 3
Sky Bet odds: Tottenham 9/4 Draw 9/4 Man Utd 5/4
One to watch: Aaron Lennon
BBC Preview
Sebastien Bassong gave Tottenham yet another defensive injury scare whilst on international duty with Cameroon, but he should be fit to start.
New signing Niko Kranjcar is likely to go straight into the line-up in place of his fellow Croatian, Luka Modric.
Man Utd are hopeful Rio Ferdinand will pass a fitness test and make his first league appearance of the season.
John O'Shea is definitely out so Gary Neville may deputise after proving his fitness in a reserve match.
Tottenham Hotspur
Suspended: None Doubtful: Bassong (knee) Injured: Bale (foot), Dawson (Achilles), Gomes (thigh), Jenas (calf), Modric (broken leg) Woodgate (groin).
Manchester United
Suspended: None Doubtful: Ferdinand (thigh)
Injured: Hargreaves (knee), Obertan (spine), O'Shea (calf), Rafael (shoulder), Van der Sar (hand)
MATCH PREVIEW
Tottenham's credentials as genuine contenders to break into the top four face a real test as they face Manchester United and Chelsea in back-to-back Premier League matches.
Man Utd of course fear nobody, but even they will have been closely scrutinising the scintillating form Spurs have been in this season.
The Lilywhites showed signs last season that they can mix it with the big boys, beating Liverpool and Chelsea and earning two draws with bitter rivals Arsenal.
Their record against United however makes for pathetic reading - they haven't beaten the Red Devils in 22 matches and have only recorded three Premier League wins over them in 34 attempts.
But historically the United juggernaut takes a while to get motoring and as Burnley have already exposed this season, they are yet to hit top gear.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men enter a testing week as they swap White Hart Lane for the white hot atmosphere of an feverish Besiktas crowd in their Champions League opener, followed by an even spicier than normal Manchester derby against cash rich City.
2[ar]
[/ar]
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Spurs have drawn their last two league matches at home to Manchester United, but haven't beaten the Red Devils since 2001 (16 Premier League games).
• Tottenham have lost ten Premier League games at home to Man Utd, more than against any other opponent.
• In fact Spurs have only beaten Man Utd three times in the Premier League in 34 matches, all at White Hart Lane (4-1 in 1996, 3-1 in 1999 and 3-1 in 2001).
Tottenham Hotspur
• Spurs have not kept a clean sheet in their last six league outings.
• Tottenham are on their longest ever run of consecutive home wins in Premier League history (eight) and if they win it will match their best run of consecutive victories in Premier League history (five).
• They have won 897 Premier League points, conceded 896 times and scored 895 goals.
Manchester United
• Seven of the eight goals Man Utd have scored have been netted in the second half.
• Wayne Rooney has scored four goals in his last four league games against Spurs and Dimitar Berbatov has scored two goals in the last three meetings between Spurs and Man Utd, one for each club.
• Man Utd have won 11 and lost just one of their last 13 Premier League games.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
2[ar]
[/ar]
Tottenham Hotspur
Defoe: 4 goals (4 league); Lennon: 2 goals (2 league)
2[ar]
[/ar]
Manchester United
Rooney: 5 goals (4 league); Owen, Berbatov, Nani: 1 goal (1 league)
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant referees: Jake Collin & John Flynn
Fourth official: Stuart Attwell
Man Utd 5-2 Tottenham (25 April, 2009)
Manchester United scorers: Ronaldo 57 pen, Rooney 67, Ronaldo 68, Rooney 71, Berbatov 79.
Tottenham scorers: Bent 29, Modric 32.
Highlights of last seasons 0-0 at WHL
__________________________________________________ ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Tottenham v Man Utd
Barclays Premier League
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Saturday 12 September Kick-off: 1730 BST
Coverage: Live on ESPN, BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, local radio & highlights on Match of the Day
_______________________________________
Tottenham v Man Utd
Barclays Premier League
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Saturday 12 September Kick-off: 1730 BST
Coverage: Live on ESPN, BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, local radio & highlights on Match of the Day
_______________________________________
Bassong and King boost for hosts, Ferdinand back for champions
2[ar]
Tottenham and Manchester United will be hastily assessing the fitness of their international stars ahead of their meeting at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
The international break means that both clubs would only have welcomed back some of their squad as late as Friday after their long-haul exertions for their respective countries.
United winger Antonio Valencia helped Ecuador to a 3-1 win in Bolivia on Wednesday, while Park Ji-Sung has just returned from Seoul after playing in a friendly for South Korea against Australia last week.
Meanwhile, Spurs duo Wilson Palacios and Giovani Dos Santos faced each other when Honduras and Mexico came head-to-head in Mexico City in midweek, while full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto was in Africa with Cameroon.
Both managers will be cursing their luck that such a big game has fallen at such an unfortunate time in the football calendar, but both squads have enough quality to plug the gaps if necessary.
Spurs have begun the season in spectacular fashion, winning all four of their opening four games and sitting pretty in second with just goal difference keeping them behind Chelsea.
Reknapp's men have already beaten United's title rivals Liverpool at home on the opening day of the season and confidence is high in the Tottenham camp having scored 11 Premier League goals so far this term.
Notable absence
One negative for Spurs will be the notable absence of Luka Modric after he suffered a broken leg against Birmingham last time out.
The little Croatian is not expected back until the end of October, so pressure will be on Aaron Lennon to continue his flying start to the season down the right flank.
The 22-year-old is one of the only widemen to consistently trouble Red Devils left-back Patrice Evra and Redknapp will be asking the England international to run at the defender for the whole 90 minutes.
Redknapp could also be boosted by the return of defenders Sebastian Bassong (knee) and Ledley King (groin), while Michael Dawson (Achilles), Gareth Bale (knee) and midfielder Jermaine Jenas (calf) could also return from their respective lay-offs.
However, Jonathan Woodgate (groin) is expected to need another week of rest before he can be considered for first-team action.
Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes (thigh) is close to a full recovery as Redknapp begins to get the bulk of his squad back fit.
Niko Kranjcar is in line to make his Spurs debut and come in for the injured Modric after signing from Portsmouth last week.
Rio return
The champions could welcome Rio Ferdinand (thigh) back into the side after the defender came back sooner than expected.
However, John O'Shea is very doubtful after he returned from international duty with Republic of Ireland with a calf complaint.
Brazilian youngster Rafael is close to a comeback from shoulder surgery but he is unlikely to be risked, so either Wes Brown, who shrugged off a knock in England training this week, or Gary Neville should start at full-back.
Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar (thumb), Gabriel Obertan (back) and Owen Hargreaves (knee) are all long-term casualties and are not expected back until October at the earliest.
PREDICTIONS:
PREDICTIONS
Skysports.com prediction: Tottenham 1 Man Utd 3
Sky Bet odds: Tottenham 9/4 Draw 9/4 Man Utd 5/4
One to watch: Aaron Lennon
__________________________________________________
BBC Preview
Sebastien Bassong gave Tottenham yet another defensive injury scare whilst on international duty with Cameroon, but he should be fit to start.
New signing Niko Kranjcar is likely to go straight into the line-up in place of his fellow Croatian, Luka Modric.
Man Utd are hopeful Rio Ferdinand will pass a fitness test and make his first league appearance of the season.
John O'Shea is definitely out so Gary Neville may deputise after proving his fitness in a reserve match.
Tottenham Hotspur
Suspended: None Doubtful: Bassong (knee) Injured: Bale (foot), Dawson (Achilles), Gomes (thigh), Jenas (calf), Modric (broken leg) Woodgate (groin).
Manchester United
Suspended: None Doubtful: Ferdinand (thigh)
Injured: Hargreaves (knee), Obertan (spine), O'Shea (calf), Rafael (shoulder), Van der Sar (hand)
MATCH PREVIEW
Tottenham's credentials as genuine contenders to break into the top four face a real test as they face Manchester United and Chelsea in back-to-back Premier League matches.
Man Utd of course fear nobody, but even they will have been closely scrutinising the scintillating form Spurs have been in this season.
The Lilywhites showed signs last season that they can mix it with the big boys, beating Liverpool and Chelsea and earning two draws with bitter rivals Arsenal.
Their record against United however makes for pathetic reading - they haven't beaten the Red Devils in 22 matches and have only recorded three Premier League wins over them in 34 attempts.
But historically the United juggernaut takes a while to get motoring and as Burnley have already exposed this season, they are yet to hit top gear.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men enter a testing week as they swap White Hart Lane for the white hot atmosphere of an feverish Besiktas crowd in their Champions League opener, followed by an even spicier than normal Manchester derby against cash rich City.
2[ar]
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Spurs have drawn their last two league matches at home to Manchester United, but haven't beaten the Red Devils since 2001 (16 Premier League games).
• Tottenham have lost ten Premier League games at home to Man Utd, more than against any other opponent.
• In fact Spurs have only beaten Man Utd three times in the Premier League in 34 matches, all at White Hart Lane (4-1 in 1996, 3-1 in 1999 and 3-1 in 2001).
Tottenham Hotspur
• Spurs have not kept a clean sheet in their last six league outings.
• Tottenham are on their longest ever run of consecutive home wins in Premier League history (eight) and if they win it will match their best run of consecutive victories in Premier League history (five).
• They have won 897 Premier League points, conceded 896 times and scored 895 goals.
Manchester United
• Seven of the eight goals Man Utd have scored have been netted in the second half.
• Wayne Rooney has scored four goals in his last four league games against Spurs and Dimitar Berbatov has scored two goals in the last three meetings between Spurs and Man Utd, one for each club.
• Man Utd have won 11 and lost just one of their last 13 Premier League games.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
2[ar]
Tottenham Hotspur
Defoe: 4 goals (4 league); Lennon: 2 goals (2 league)
2[ar]
Manchester United
Rooney: 5 goals (4 league); Owen, Berbatov, Nani: 1 goal (1 league)
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant referees: Jake Collin & John Flynn
Fourth official: Stuart Attwell
Man Utd 5-2 Tottenham (25 April, 2009)
Manchester United scorers: Ronaldo 57 pen, Rooney 67, Ronaldo 68, Rooney 71, Berbatov 79.
Tottenham scorers: Bent 29, Modric 32.
Highlights of last seasons 0-0 at WHL
__________________________________________________ ______________________________________________
__________________
ray:
