Man Utd vs. Tottenham: Red Devils bidding to avoid unwanted history in Old Trafford battle

Manchester United will be aiming to avoid some unwanted history when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The 20-time English champions will enter the match off the back of three straight wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham, which has seen them move into fourth spot in the Premier League table, and they will be the favourites to overcome Spurs this weekend.

However, Man United are winless in their last six league games against Tottenham - drawing three and losing three - and that is their joint-longest ever run without a victory over the North London outfit, which previously occurred between 1914 and 1921.

Failure to overcome Tottenham on Saturday would make it a worst-ever run for the Red Devils against Spurs in terms of failing to triumph.

Man Utd vs. Tottenham: Red Devils have struggled against Spurs of late

Tottenham beat Man United 3-0 in the corresponding game at Old Trafford last season and are actually aiming to make it successive away wins over the Red Devils for just the second time in their history, so there is plenty on the line.

Man United have not managed to beat Spurs in the last eight meetings between the two teams in all competitions, which is Tottenham's best-ever run against Saturday's opponents.

Last season, as well as the 3-0 Spurs triumph at Old Trafford, Tottenham recorded a 1-0 victory at home in the reverse game and were also 1-0 winners over the Manchester outfit in the Europa League final.

Not since October 2022 have Man United beaten Tottenham, when Fred and Bruno Fernandes were on the scoresheet in a 2-0 home success in the Premier League.

The Red Devils also lead the overall head-to-head record, winning 96 of their 206 meetings, with Spurs claiming 58 victories and the other 52 games finishing all square.

Carrick wary of Tottenham's threat in Premier League battle

Tottenham have had another tough domestic season, sitting down in 14th spot in the Premier League table, but they fought back to draw 2-2 with Manchester City last time out.

"They certainly bring a challenge. The way they finished the game the other day, they’ve had, over a period, players injured, a lot of changes to the team which makes things more difficult," Man United head coach Michael Carrick told reporters during his press conference.

"They’re getting players back, they have really good attackers that look to stretch the backline and play forward and attack the box an awful lot.

"A slightly different game to what we’ve played in recent weeks but we’re looking forward to, we are in a good place, the boys have worked well again this week. Feet on the ground, let’s not get carried away. It’s about what’s next. Big challenge ahead."

Tottenham actually have the fourth-best away record in the Premier League this season, picking up 19 points from their 12 matches on their travels.