Tottenham – Manchester Utd

In London, the rivals will not rely on the reliability of their defensive line-ups

In one of the most important fixtures of the second round of the elite English division, the clubs that have played in the Premier League continuously since the year of its creation will meet. Manchester United are twenty-time champions of England, but the Red Devils last won the title eleven seasons ago under the coaching of the great Alex Ferguson. Last season was the first for the Mancunians under Erik ten Hague and was divided into two parts: before Ronaldo left the club and after. With the Portuguese in the squad, the team could not find balance and lacked discipline on the pitch. After sending Cristiano back Manchester United appeared in a completely different form, won the English League Cup and for some time claimed to win the championship and Europa League. A final third place finish would allow the Red Devils to return to the Champions League after one season. In the off-season, Ten Haga's team was very active on the transfer market. Hjolund, Mount and Onana were added to the roster of the Mancunian club for a total of almost 200 million euros. Gone from Manchester United are players who are more like ballast. To the least extent such a characterisation can apply to De Hea. In the first round Eric ten Hague's team at Old Trafford hosted Wolverhampton, with whom they played almost on equal terms, but won on class thanks to Varane's goal in the second half. Bookmakers have identified the visitors as favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 2.38 on their victory. Last season was the worst season for Tottenham since the championship in 2008/2009. Antonio Conte did not finish it to the end, resigning. One and a half months ago, Ange Postecoglou was appointed as the new Spurs coach. In the off-season, Tottenham made major changes in the squad. Harry Kane left for Bayern, and the club acquired young and promising players to build a new squad. The list of acquisitions includes Porro, Kulusevski, Maddison, Van der Ven, Vicario and others. With so many newcomers in the squad, Spurs looked "raw" in the first round, drawing 2-2 with Brentford. It is unlikely that both clubs in London are ready to play from defense. The match will end with at least three goals.