Manchester United will be looking for their fourth straight pre-season win when they take on Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the International Champions Cup on Thursday.
United have overcome Perth Glory, Leeds United and Inter Milan in their three friendly games this summer, while Spurs started their preparations for the 2019-20 campaign with a 3-2 win over Juventus.
Tottenham
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It would be fair to say that managers do not place too much importance on pre-season results, but there is no question that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino will have been encouraged by his team's 3-2 success over Juve.
Mauricio Sarri sent a very strong Juve XI onto the field at the weekend, and the Italian champions led early in the second period after overcoming a one-goal deficit. Lucas Moura levelled the scores at 2-2 in the 65th minute, though, before Harry Kane came up with a spectacular long-range winner for the English club.
In Tottenham's first fixture since the 2019 Champions League final, the team put in a strong performance and will have undoubtedly been pleased with the final result. Pochettino's side will not actually play much more football this summer ahead of their Premier League opener against Aston Villa on August 10.
Indeed, after facing United on Thursday, they will take on Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Audi Cup next week before facing either Bayern Munich or Fenerbahce in the final or third-place playoff of that competition. Spurs will then tackle Inter on August 4 in their final fixture before the start of competitive action.
The capital outfit have a tough start to the new Premier League campaign, considering that they will take on Manchester City and Arsenal in two of their first four fixtures, in addition to facing an impressive Villa side and a Newcastle United team that will have plenty to prove.
Spurs have already broken their transfer record this summer to sign Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon and there is no question that the France international will improve the team. Moves for Real Betis's Giovani Lo Celso and Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon are said to be close, meanwhile.
Fernando Llorente is also being linked with a return to the club on a short-term contract. Indeed, Tottenham are once again very light when it comes to back up for Kane and it would be a surprise if another forward did not arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Spurs are behind United when it comes to their preparations, but with the new season very much on the horizon, Pochettino will be looking for a strong performance against the 20-time English champions, who have shown plenty of positive signs during their own pre-season.
Recent form: LLWDLW
Manchester United
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Three games, three wins, seven goals scored and zero conceded - that is how United have performed during pre-season. If their opening victory over Perth Glory on July 13 was routine then the wins over Leeds and Inter in their last couple of fixtures have been impressive.
Granted, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa only brought a 16-man squad to Australia, but United showed plenty of positive signs in their 4-0 win over the Whites. The clash with Inter on Saturday was certainly a lot closer, with the deciding goal coming late on through the excellent Mason Greenwood.
Just 17 years old, Greenwood has scored two goals on tour, including a stunner against Inter. As mentioned, it is always difficult to read too much into pre-season results, but head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be delighted with how a number of his players have performed ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.
New signings Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have both been in good form, while Paul Pogba has also been excellent amid the speculation surrounding his future. Romelu Lukaku is yet to feature and will surely be moving on, but the general atmosphere inside the camp seems very strong this time around.
Thursday's clash in Shanghai will bring to an end this leg of United's tour. Indeed, next up is a clash with Kristiansund in Oslo before facing AC Milan in Cardiff on August 3. The match with Milan will bring to their pre-season to an end as the new Premier League campaign starts one week later.
The Red Devils will open with a huge clash against Chelsea on August 11 before facing a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 19. Having missed out on the Champions League for the coming campaign, there will be a lot of pressure on Solskjaer's side to start well after ending so poorly last term.
Sporting Lisbon's Bruno Fernandes could well become the club's third signing of the summer, while Leicester City's Harry Maguire also continues to be linked with a move to Old Trafford. The pair would certainly improve Solskjaer's options and give United a team capable of returning to the top four.
Much of the attention in the club's three games this summer has been on minutes and fitness, but the focus will now gradually start shifting towards the Chelsea game in little under three weeks.
Recent form: LDLWWW
Team News
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Tottenham will be without the services of Hugo Lloris as the France international has flown back to England to continue his recovery from illness.
Ben Davies and Eric Dier both failed to make the trip through injury, while Serge Aurier, Victor Wanyama and Davinson Sanchez are not with the squad following their international exploits this summer.
Having both came off the bench to score against Juve, Lucas and Kane are expected to be handed starting roles in Shanghai, while Ndombele is also in line for his first start.
Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth are also options for change, but Anthony Georgiou could continue at left-back with Pochettino currently lacking players in that area of the field.
As for United, Victor Lindelof had emerged as a doubt after suffering a thigh injury against Inter, but the Sweden international trained on Monday and should be available.
The club also had a concern over Tahith Chong with the youngster on the receiving end of a number of poor challenges in the latter stages of the Inter clash.
It would not be a surprise if Solskjaer looked to put his strongest XI on the field, with Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw lining up in the full-back positions and Scott McTominay joining Pogba in midfield.
James has started all three of United's pre-season games this summer, though, and therefore the Wales international could drop out to allow Greenwood to come into the team.
Lukaku has been passed fit following an ankle injury, but it remains to be seen whether the Belgium international receives some minutes amid the speculation surrounding his future.
Tottenham possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Walker-Peters, Foyth, Vertonghen, Georgiou; Winks, Sissoko, Ndombele, Alli; Kane, Lucas
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Bailly, Shaw; Pogba, McTominay; Martial, Mata, Greenwood; Rashford
Head To Head
The two teams have locked horns on 191 occasions in all competitions, with the Red Devils leading the head to head 91 wins to Tottenham's 52.
Pochettino's side recorded a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League towards the start of last season, but United ran out 1-0 winners in the reverse match on January 13.
In the last eight fixtures between the two teams in all competitions, both have recorded four wins.
We say: Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United
United are ahead of Tottenham when it comes to their preparations and that could play a role in the final result. The two teams are fairly well-matched on paper, though, and we are expecting a score draw.
Matt Law
