Predicted Manchester United XI to face Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)

Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Thursday evening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With Erik ten Hag no doubt keen to rebuild momentum after an embarrassing 3-0 loss to Sevilla last Thursday evening, the Tottenham Hotspur tie presents the perfect opportunity for the club to capitalise on the positive momentum generated from their FA Cup semi-final victory.

After drawing 0-0 after 120 minutes against Brighton at Wembley Stadium, United progressed to the FA Cup final as a result of their 7-6 victory on penalties, where they will face Manchester City.

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During the FA Cup semi-final, goalkeeper David de Gea produced some fantastic saves to keep his well-deserved clean sheet, and will no doubt retain his position in goal for the away trip to North London.

Two more players who produced fantastic performances at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon were right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof. Wan-Bissaka kept dangerous dribbler Kaoru Mitoma quiet throughout the fixture, and Lindelof was the man who thundered in the winning penalty to send United through to the final. Both are expected to retain their positions.

Another who performed commendably was Luke Shaw, who played an unorthodox centre-back role during the tie due to Harry Maguire’s suspension for the fixture. Shaw has played the position in Lisandro Martinez’s absence on multiple occasions this season, and could once again be placed in the role against Spurs.

As a consequence, Tyrell Malacia could be brought into the left-back role over Diogo Dalot to compensate for Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski’s dynamism on their right flank.

In midfield, Casemiro will almost certainly continue his role in the base of midfield – although he may have to watch his behaviour, as the referee who sent him off against Southampton will once again be officiating a Manchester United fixture. He could be partnered with Christian Eriksen, who has returned back to full fitness after a three-month injury, in order to compensate for a potential lack of creativity in midfield.

This potential creativity problem is sparked by the fact that United will likely be without de facto captain Bruno Fernandes, who has a “question mark” over his availability after being spotted in a protective boot following his substitution in the FA Cup semi-final.

Loanee Marcel Sabitzer could once again be granted an attacking role in the XI in order to boost United’s options up front.

In attack, the front three will most likely stay the same as the trio that started against Brighton, with Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Antony manning the front line.

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If neither Maguire nor Fernandes starts, Rashford could be handed the captain’s armband – although De Gea is another viable option to take the on-field duty should neither Ten Hag’s first two choices start.

Full predicted XI

De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen, Sabitzer; Antony, Martial, Rashford.