Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United League Cup Preview: Manchester Magic

The inconsistent nature of the 2024/25 season has brought many lows and many highs for Tottenham Hotspur this season, with two of those brighter moments coming in Manchester: a 3-0 win at Old Trafford and a 4-0 Victory at the Old Trafford Etihad. This success wasn’t just limited to the North West, as Spurs also beat City at home in the fourth round of the League Cup.

This win took them into the quarter-finals, where Manchester United now travel to North London. A lot has changed for visitors in recent months as Ruben Amorim came to try to save the sinking ship. Spurs are no strangers to the League Cup semi-finals, having achieved three in their last six games and have a good chance of reaching four from seven.

Quarterfinals: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United

Date: Thursday, December 19th
Time: 3pm ET, 8pm UK
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
TV: Paramount+ (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

United have been better since Amorim took over, but are still just 2-1-2 domestically since the departure of Erik ten Hag. Sunday’s win in the Manchester derby was dramatic and probably deserved, but it wasn’t necessarily the most complete performance. The Red Devils are still below Spurs in the table and have an imperfect squad, and the new manager can only do so much.

The battle between these sides in September was absolute slaughter; Tottenham’s 4.4 xG on the day was their highest of the season. Yes, the red card for Brune Fernandes didn’t hurt, but even at full strength, United didn’t look like they were ready to stop Spurs’ attack. There may not be an exact repeat of this on Thursday, but the ink on this blueprint isn’t quite dry yet.

Run free

It is clear that Ange Postecoglou’s team will have the most success against teams that play openly. The previous successes against United and City prove that, and even the blitzkrieg against Southampton was a good reminder of the potential this squad has when the situation is right. Finding consistency still remains a challenge, but competitions like this seem to reflect the strength of the team.

Spurs will need many of the same characters to carry on during the week. Heung-Min Son is always deadly on the counterattack and Brennan Johnson thrives on making a back-post run. With James Maddison back on the scoresheet and Dejan Kulusevski scoring three goals in a row, it feels like these are the makings of another positive attacking performance against a big (at least nominal) team.

Meanwhile, United still look disjointed despite Amorim’s arrival. Amad Diallo had a great finish in Sunday’s win, but wasn’t particularly effective beforehand. Those same numbers continue to fall short of expectations, and while they will relish the chance to face Spurs’ secondary defense, that club only sits 13th in the league’s points standings this year. Goals may have increased slightly under Amorim, but I like Tottenham’s chances of reaching the last four.