Manchester United are looking for revenge when they take on Tottenham after losing to Ange Postecoglu’s side earlier this season.
Tottenham visited Old Trafford and won 3-0 in September, contributing to Manchester United’s poor start to the season, which eventually led to Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
Spurs, even without talisman Son Heung-min, made light work of a United side reduced to 10 men following Bruno Fernandes’ dismissal three minutes before the break for a lunge at James Maddison.
Some might say the writing was on the wall for Ten Hag that day. United were overrun, undisciplined and second-best in every department.
Ruben Amorim will be hoping to make it three consecutive wins across all competitions when United travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Progress in the Carabao Cup would provide Amorim with a two-legged semi-final in the new year.
United in Focus dives deeper into the upcoming game against Tottenham, with five things to watch out for…
Manchester United looking for first win in five against Tottenham
Tottenham are unbeaten in their last four matches against Tottenham, drawing two and winning two in the Premier League.
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The hosts are bound to be favourites to win after their 3-0 victory at Old Trafford back in September.
Interestingly, the two teams have met six times in the Carabao Cup, splitting the wins evenly, with United winning the last two such meetings.
Reds must ruin Tottenham’s impressive record in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
Although Tottenham have not won the Carabao Cup since 2008, they have a decent run in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
The London outfit go into Thursday night’s game after progressing from their last four quarter-finals in the League Cup.
Postecoglu will be hoping to continue that run against United as it would bring him a step closer to winning a piece of silverware.
United last won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and they will be hoping to eliminate Tottenham on Thursday night.
Return of United’s most prolific player in the Carabao Cup
The biggest story before last weekend’s Manchester derby was Amorim’s decision to drop Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford from the line-up.
While Rashford’s future is up in the air, Garnacho is expected to return to the team to face Tottenham.
Garnacho has an impressive record in the Carabao Cup this season with more assist than any other player in the competition. On top of that, he was the first player to manage +3 goals and assists in the League Cup
It bodes well that United are scoring goals in the Carabao Cup, registering more than any other club in the competition as Garnacho played a hand in United’s 12 goals. United’s 7-0 win over Barnsley contributed heavily to that before the Reds recorded a 5-2 win over Leicester City.
Tottenham look to repeat feat last managed in 1990
After beating United in September, Postecoglu has a chance to become the first Tottenham manager since Terry Venables in 1990 to record back-to-back wins over the Reds.
Sir Alex Ferguson was United’s manager back then and it’s one of his many stats that Amorim will want to avoid.
Amorim will aim to spoil the possibility of that happening as he looks to book a place in his first semi-final as United head coach.
Postecoglu has already got the better of Ten Hag this season…
Manchester United look to replicate previous quarter-final meeting
It has been over a decade since United last met Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The Reds came out on top with a 2-0 victory in the 2009-10 quarter-final as Darren Gibson scored a brace with two stunning strikes.
It was a Carabao Cup campaign to remember because United went on to lift the trophy following a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the final.