Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening at Old Trafford in a midweek Premier League clash which could characterise the Reds’ season long battle for the top four.
United currently sit in 5th, seven points behind Spurs in 3rd but with a game in hand on the London side.
Following a disappointing draw at home to Newcastle on Sunday, Manchester United will be hoping they can get back to winning ways, with three points in this fixture representing a statement win.
Manchester United - Raphael Varane
Facing a formidable attacking force of Harry Kane. Hueng-Min Son and Dejan Kulievski will be a monumental challenge for United’s backline on Wednesday evening, with the Reds required to put in a solid defensive effort to keep Spurs at bay.
Advert
Raphael Varane will need to epitomise this defensive performance if United are to come away from the game as the better side, with the Frenchman already having proved his class a number of times this season.
Fans should pay close attention to the centre-back during the match, with the performance of Varane likely translating into the performance of United as a whole.
The combination of physicality from Kane and speed from Son means that there will be no hiding for the defence come Wednesday evening.
Tottenham - Rodrigo Bentancur
The tempo of Wednesday's encounter will be crucial for both teams, as each side will look to employ their own playstyle on the fixture, with tempo in both attack and defence being a large part of both teams’ tactics.
Advert
Spurs will likely rely on Bentancur to control this tempo in the middle of the park in order to impress Conte’s plan on the game
This therefore makes Bentancur a key component of Spurs’ system and a player that could be instrumental in the outcome of the game.
Alongside controlling the flow of the game, the Uruguayan wil have a formidable task of stemming the distribution of the ball from United’s playmakers to their attackers.
Christian Eriksen, who missed out on Sunday due to illness, could return to the starting line-up which will test Bentancur’s ability in this area.
Advert
The game kicks off at 20:15 GMT and will broadcast for UK residents on Amazon Prime Sport.
Topics: Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Raphael Varane
Harry Greenwood