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Tottenham go into Saturday's Premier League contest against Manchester United geed up by their second half fight back against Manchester City last time out, hoping they have finally turned the corner in what has been a topsy turvy season so far for Thomas Frank's men.

Frank was in no doubt regarding the ambitions the club moving forward, as Tottenham look to turn things around.

He said: "This club is very ambitious. I think if it was like this, easy to get another play in, then I'd play Football Manager. I decided it was not as fun to be a Head Coach at Tottenham. So, it's never that easy.

“It's much more complicated. We all know that. We are in different stages of where we want to be, but that's not to say that we are not ambitious. We are very ambitious.”

He added: “I also think it is maybe a nice little context to say that Man United don't play European football. I think we can all acknowledge that it is an extra challenge, something we embrace, and we are happy with.

“So, I think let's judge us when we are on the same challenges. The ambition is that we want to do very well and carry on with the good performances and beat Man United.”

When asked about the fans fear regarding the lack of activity towards the end of the transfer window.

Frank said: "What I like is that the fans are very passionate and they want the best for the club. And are very ambitious, which they should be. Tottenham is a fantastic club, and we should achieve great things.

"It's also, you say the chances, we have a few players out, some of them are coming back, and a lot of them are coming back also this season, and hopefully sooner rather than later. So, that's one thing.

“Of course we look into loan options, of course we look into other options, but for different reasons, nothing more happened."

He added: "I still think it was not like we wanted to buy five players. It was not the case. So, we got a very good player in Conor Gallagher and a good young one in Souza.”

Frank also said that midfielder Xavi Simons is 'adapting more and more to the Premier League' following the Dutchman's performance return to form in recent weeks.

He said: "I think he took plenty of risks also when he started. I just think now, of course, naturally, he is more consistent. He is knowing his team-mates better. The team-mates know him better.

“We have become a little bit more consistent. He is adapting more and more to the Premier League and also to play in the Premier League and Champions League is just different.

“His last performances have been very good and the way he is creating for the team in different ways, I like that. He was touching the ball in behind, he was driving the ball, slide pass, outside the foot, cross, so I think he is getting better and better.”

Tottenham Hotspur are making the journey up to Old Trafford as they prepare to take on Manchester United in the Premier League tomorrow.

Tottenham's form

Despite being unbeaten in their last four matches, Spurs will be hoping to improve on their current streak of a minute two wins in their last 15 appearances.

Their last league performances were a 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday and, prior to that, a 2-2 draw against Burnley away.

In the Champions League, there was slightly more success to be had for Thomas Frank’s side, as they qualified for the knockout stages of the competition with two 2-0 wins; one at home against Borussia Dortmund and one away at Frankfurt, respectively.

Now, focus will be redirected on domestic success, with a win tomorrow essential to bring Spurs up from 14th, where they currently sit in the league – 12 points behind Manchester United who are in 4th.

Head-to-head record

Tottenham and Manchester United have faced each other 209 times, with Spurs winning 58 of those encounters – losing 96 and drawing the remaining 52.

The last time the pair came up against each other, and the first time Frank coached his side against the Red Devils, was in November 2025 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw.

The Lilywhites’ most recent win against United came in the Europa League final in Bilbao in May 2025, with a 1-0 victory giving Spurs their first trophy in 17 years and catapulting them into the Champions League amid a season where they did not have as much league success.

Away at Old Trafford, the last success for Spurs was in September 2024 with a 3-0 win – with Tottenham also taking control of the reverse fixture with a 1-0 win in north London the following February.

The 2024/25 season became the first time Tottenham had taken the league double over the Red Devils in the Premier League era – a feat Frank cannot match but will hope to get close to

Potential starting XI?

Frank’s side has been plagued with injuries since before the Dane took over the north London club, and this has greatly limited the pool of players available for each match – with the current injury list stretching into double figures.

However, some positivity has been enshrined onto the Lilywhites recently.

Defender Micky Van de Ven is set to make his return on Saturday after returning from a hamstring strain.

Captain Christian Romero, who came down with an illness during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City, will also be available for tomorrow’s fixture.

Dominic Solanke should be available after recently returning to the pitch, and getting straight back into his goal scoring ways.

Additionally, Radu Dragusin may also feature after making his first appearance in a year against Manchester City last weekend – the defender has been nursing an ACL injury but has slowly been re-integrating back into the squad.

New signing Conor Gallagher could also retain his place in the starting line-up for the third match in a row since his transfer from Atletico Madrid.

Predicted Tottenham line-up (4-3-2-1):

Vicario (GK); Palhinha, Romero, Van de Ven, Dragusin; Udogie, Gray, Gallagher; Muani, Simons; Solanke

It remains quite the turnaround for Manchester United. Since Michael Carrick took the job as interim head coach, it is three consecutive wins.

The first two wins against Manchester City and Arsenal were statement victories and ones to get fans excited. However, there have been occasions in previous seasons when they have secured positive wins against some of the top teams in the league but not backed this up consistently. Therefore, last week's 3-2 win against Fulham could be viewed as one of the more significant.

There is a good energy around Old Trafford at the moment and the side are rightly feeling confident. They are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and are now 4th in the table. They will hope to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League and, whilst there is still fourteen games to play, they are in a good position to do this.

There may be a thought that if only they could have turned some of the games against West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United under Ruben Amorim into wins instead of draws then they could find themselves in an even better position and potentially even be part of the sides pushing Arsenal.

Nonetheless, Michael Carrick deserves a lot of praise for what he has achieved since arriving at the club and will want to keep it going.

They will go into the game against Tottenham Hotspur as favourites to win as Thomas Frank's side, despite a draw with Manchester City last week, are struggling for form.

When the two sides met in November, it ended in a 2-2 draw after a stoppage time equaliser from United.

However, Spurs were victorious in the UEFA Europa League final between the two sides last season, but a lot has changed since then.

It could be the unpredictable nature of Spurs that makes this game a tough one for Carrick. Dominic Solanke returned to fitness last week and scored twice in the game with City so United will have to be aware of that threat.

Defensively work to do?

The one area of concern for Carrick may be that in the last two games, his side have conceded four goals.

They have won both games so it has not proved costly but it could be a problem if it continues. Conceding two goals a game, leaves the attacking players with a lot to do if you are to win the game. Late goals are also great ways to win games, as was the case at Arsenal and last week, but they cannot always be relied upon.

Particularly against Fulham at home, Carrick's side were 2-0 up but let the opposition back into the game late in the second half and nearly threw away the three points as a result.

Entertaining side to watch

However, his side have scored eight goals in their last three games and that is a positive outcome. Bryan Mbuemo has proven his quality to adapt to life at a club like United and Matheus Cunha has filled in for the injured Patrick Dorgu by scoring two goals himself in the last two games.

There are many positives at United at the moment but the energy and purpose to their play, with a desire to get goals and players who want to make an impact is clear to see.

The summer signings are making an impact and players like Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro are looking to play the forward passes in midfield and get the side moving forward.

There is more to it than just playing on the front foot and Carrick has his side organised enough to look dangerous on the attack but to also get results. He has only been at the club for a short period of time too so will hope that there is more to come from his players.

Wary of Spurs

Despite their struggles, Spurs still have the potential to come away with a win as they have the quality to cause problems.

They progressed automatically from the UEFA Champions League and, on their day, they can get a positive result in a one-off game.

On many occasions, finding consistency had been the problem that United suffered from yet they still had the ability to look like a quality side on any day. That is a similar situation that Spurs can find themselves in.

It is also something that makes this game interesting and possibly harder to predict.

Each win possibly adds an extra layer of pressure to Carrick that was not there before as they are on a good run so there becomes an expectation that this will continue and they will look up the table, as opposed to below them.

He will know not to underestimate Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur are currently 14th in the Premier League and have one league win in their last six games. They lost to West Ham and drew with Burnley in their last two games.

Last week they only just avoided defeat at Turf Moor, thanks to a late goal from Cristian Romero. Romero is currently one of the club's top scorers with two goals from their centre back in their last two league games.

Yet in Europe, they have qualified for the Last 16 in the UEFA Champions League and have had some impressive results, notably a recent win over Borussia Dortmund.

The pressure remains on manager Thomas Frank and many of the Spurs supporters are not convinced that he is the man to take the club forward.

Manchester City will undoubtedly provide a tough test and it will be a challenge for a Spurs side who need to start picking up points sooner rather than later.

Pep Guardiola's side remain second in the table and will be looking to keep the pressure on Arsenal. However, before their win last weekend, they were without a win in their previous four league matches and had lost ground in the title race.

When the sides met back in August, it was a 2-0 win for Frank's side.

Time to climb the table?

After disappointing results lately they have slipped down the table and with Leeds United and Nottingham Forest starting to pick up points, Spurs may have started looking over their shoulder.

It may seem too early to talk of Spurs in a relegation battle but they are only three points ahead of Forest and two ahead of Leeds.

They have tough fixtures coming up in their next four games and City is the start of this but they need to start putting points on the board and climbing the table.

Performances in recent weeks may have improved slightly but the results have not been what is expected of the club.

The lack of an out-and-out goalscorer has hindered the sides chances of winning games.

Why the difference between Europe and the Premier League?

Spurs finished fourth in the Champions League yet are 14th in the Premier League.

The difference is stark. Last season they won the UEFA Europa League yet finished 17th in the league but there would have been an expectation that they would improve this time around.

Thomas Frank will point to the injuries and that he feels as though it will take time to turn the club's fortunes around. However, they have struggled for consistency.

In the one-off games in Europe, Spurs have produced some good performances and successful results.

Previous success against City

In recent games against City, Spurs also have had some promising results such as a 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium last season under Ange Postecoglou.

When the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium first opened, City did not enjoy any of their first five visits. They lost all five without scoring.

They have improved in recent years as they won back-to-back matches in 2024. This included a 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round win in January of that year, followed four months later by a 2-0 Premier League win, courtesy of two goals from Erling Haaland.

This will be remembered as the game in Postecoglou's first season where the club missed the opportunity to finish in the top four but the City win meant that Arsenal's chances of winning the league suffered.

Spurs will be hoping that they can put in a good performance against City.

As with Europe, they have been able to raise their levels for games against some of the tougher opponents, on paper, so they may be able to reach those levels against City and pick up some vital points.

Thomas Frank has reflected on the performance of Tottenham in the Champions League.

Despite the side’s struggles in the Premier League, the continental competition has been their relief. Spurs now sit in fifth place in the league phase of the European competition, and they can ensure automatic qualification for the Round of 16 if they defeat Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

“I'm very happy that the team and the Club we are in a position where, with a win tomorrow, we can finish top eight in the best club tournament in the world, and it's super, super competitive, as we know. So that we are very, very pleased with. Those results and some of those performances are also what we need to take going forward, of course, and build on that.

“Again, it's me, it's my job to look a little bit in the bigger perspective. You know, even that we haven't won as much as we want, it's very, very few things that need to go our way. You know, the small margins - keep doing the right thing, keep improving things you want to do, and getting quality players back, such as Dominic Solanke as I’ve talked about before.

“The mental and the physical load on players to produce every third and fourth game is very big. It's so big and it's more difficult to do that. And, of course, the bigger the competition, from Conference League to Europa League to Champions League, it's just better teams.

“That means you need to give more and that you need to have players in a squad that is, I would not say used to it but are learning over time to go out and produce no matter what. That's a big thing.

“We've studied [Eintracht Frankfurt] closely. They may not be in their best form, but it's a team, I think, done fantastic in the league last year. I still think they have done some fantastic results and played fantastic games this season. Recently, they just played 3-3 with Borussia Dortmund.

“They have very good players, and they have a clear identity in what they want to do. I expect a very difficult game, where they will come in a man-man pressure tomorrow. I think they are very good in the transitions. I expect a difficult game. I know they are in pain.

“They don't have anything to play for, but sometimes you can play free. I've been in this game long enough that usually you don't know what you're going to face [on Wednesday]. It, of course, needs to be thoughts on us, with big respect for Frankfurt. We know all their strengths, no doubt about that.”

After last week's disappointing defeat at home to West Ham, there would have been hope for a reaction. Particularly after Thomas Frank was boosted by a midweek UEFA Champions League victory against Borussia Dortmund.

Spurs took the lead through Micky Van de Ven but were pegged back by Axel Tuanzebe before Lyle Foster put Scott Parker's Burnley ahead. Burnley drew with Liverpool last week and have shown some fight in recent matches. A win would have been a big result for them.

In the 90th minute, Cristian Romero scored the equaliser as the game ended 2-2 and it is a point that helps neither side. Frank's team do not climb the table and Parker's side remain in the bottom three and with a significant gap to close.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Defenders the scorers again

Romero and Van de Ven are centre backs yet they are Spurs' joint second highest scorers this season with 4 goals each.

Whilst it is helpful for Frank that his defenders are chipping in with goals, it is also part of another issue as they are one of his higher scorers. It suggests the forward players are not delivering and he cannot be relying on his centre back pairings to be the ones grabbing the goals.

Defensively, Van de Ven and Romero may not have had their best game but their goals - particularly Romero's - may have contributed towards keeping Frank in the job for another week.

However, it would likely be a more pleasing situation if the defenders were keeping clean sheets and the strikers were the ones scoring.

Wilson Odobert played well

One attacking player who put in a promising performance was Wilson Odobert as he was often looking to get forward and had several attempts on goal.

Spurs looked strongest in the first half and Odobert was at the centre of most of their good work. He has not always lived up to expectations since arriving at the club, so there will be a hope that this performance demonstrates that there is more to come from him.

Tough fixtures coming up

A draw with Burnley will go down as a disappointment. Avoiding defeat represents a positive but, whilst it was an improved performance from that against West Ham, it is not what is expected.

Next weekend, Frank's side play Manchester City. At times, in recent years, Spurs have managed some positive results and memorable wins against Pep Guardiola's side but it is a game where Spurs will go into it in poor form.

Despite their win in Europe, there is little doubt that Spurs are low on confidence and there will not be too many positives to take from the 2-2 draw.

The pressure remains on Thomas Frank

It is not a result or performance that will offer much reassurance and belief that Frank is the man to guide Spurs up the table.

It does not seem sustainable that these conversations will occur each week after every result but that is the pressure he is under at the moment. After the win against Dortmund, there would have been a hope that it would be the boost they needed to show that they can compete with the best and get results.

Time is what all managers want but Frank is still fighting to prove to supporters that he is the right man to take the club forward.

Their league position and lack of wins will become of an increasing concern when the teams below them are picking up points.

Next up is a Champions League game and they have the chance to progress automatically to the next phase, but even a comfortable win there would likely not offer the required confidence to suggest there will be an upturn in their Premier League form.

Many people believed that following Tottenham's late defeat to rivals West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday that would spell the end of Thomas Frank's tenure as some sections of the Spurs' faithful have lost faith with the 52-year-old Dane and their opinions could be heard immediately after the final whistle blew.

Following meetings with the Tottenham hierarchy, it was agreed Frank would be in charge for Tuesday's home UEFA Champions League fixture against Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund.

Thomas Frank revealed he went for lunch with Nick Beucher, Vinai Venkatesham, and Johan Lange and relayed that he feels the trust from the board.

He said: "I've just been, how can you say, feeling the trust along the way. I've said that at every press meeting that there is backing and support.

"I had lunch with Nick and Vinai and Johan today, so all good. I know it's part of the, how can you say, the media circus. The only focus I have is to do everything I can for us to win tomorrow against Dortmund.”

He also admitted that he only has eleven of his usual first team available for selection with attacking midfielder Xavi Simons playing with some pain.

He said: "We basically have eleven players of our outfield players available for the game, of our normal first team players. One of them is Xavi, the guy who was out there and didn't train today because it was a bad tackle from Bowen - not that Bowen is a bad guy, wouldn't do anything intentional - a bad tackle from behind that injured his ankle, he has a swollen ankle, but because he's so strong mentally, he will play through pain tomorrow. So that's big credit, of course, to Xavi.

"So, we have eleven players available, and we maybe have three players that need to push massively to get through 90 minutes physically. So, that's why we need everyone to support us, and we need everyone to support us from minute one.

"All of us, especially the team, especially the players, especially if it's not going too well, need support because if we do get that support, everything can happen and magic can happen. We have a good opportunity tomorrow and we go all in for it.”

Frank also reiterated that he can win the Tottenham supports around.

He said: “Yeah, I'm not in doubt of that. I think you can say that in this game, you always need to show resilience. I listened to something interesting thing the other day where the three biggest things in showing resilience is one, you have good values.

"I see myself as a guy that has pretty good values. Two, you know reality, and reality is one in five normally don't like you, no matter what you do. One in five love you, no matter what you do. Both of them probably biased either way, too much."

He added: "Then there's the three in five that if you behave well, respectful, show integrity, do your best, normally they’re that's right.

"So, no matter what you do, reality is some will not like you, but I keep doing what I do, what I believe in and then the last bit, by the way, have perspective in life, which I have in abundance. So, I'm looking forward to the game tomorrow.”

He said: "I would say this is the highest level of football and as we know as a group we have to stick together. It's not only the coaches, it's the whole club, I would say.

"That's the most important thing. We're playing every two or three days and we have to stick together, and tomorrow we have another opportunity to win.”

He added: "Everyone wants to win, not only the coach but the players as well. We want to change this, especially me, I'm a guy willing to give everything to win.

"Obviously, if I had really, really, really pain, then I wouldn't play, but it's now a situation that I can handle myself as well, even though I have a little bit of pain. I want to play the game, I want to help the team."

Xavi also shared his thoughts on how he feels the younger players can excite to Tottenham faithful.

He said: "I would say even me, I'm still young, but you can see the younger guys coming up and training every day with us. The excitement that they have and the willingness to play the game is immense, but I would say obviously we have to do our job and at the end, if one of them comes onto the pitch, it will be no age, no young guys, it will be football and I think they are all ready, so that's something nice.”

The former RB Leipzig star also said that playing against Borussia Dortmund is 'special' for him.

He said: "We want to turn this around, especially playing in the UEFA Champions League. I think it's the biggest stage, and me playing against Dortmund, I've played already in Germany.

"It's special, but at the same time, it's like every game, every game is a big game for me and for the team. We want to bring that momentum and to bring that three points at home.”

Embed from Getty Images

He added: "At the end I think it's not fair to compare every club. Every situation is different, every manager is different, every place is different.

"I'm now here, I'm really happy to be here. Obviously, this is the situation we are into. I feel really good together with the team and we're trying to change this."

Tottenham Hotspur lost another game at home after Callum Wilson's late goal gave Nuno Espirito Santo's side a vital win. Spurs remain 14th in the table and many will view this as a missed opportunity to regain some confidence and start to look up the table.

The Hammers led for much of the match but Cristian Romero pulled one back to level it at 1-1. At that point, it may have been expected that Spurs would go on for the win. However, that never materialised and they conceded a late goal after some sloppy defending.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

Thomas Frank is under pressure

Manager Frank is rumoured to be close to losing his job. The home fans were not happy throughout the match as they turned on their manager and started chanting "sacked in the morning".

It has been a frustrating season for the side from North London and recent results have not been good enough. Performances have looked disjointed and, at one point it looked as though most supporters were prepared to give him time but, time appears to be running out for the Dane.

Another side without a win turns up and beats Spurs

It happened last time out at Bournemouth as the Cherries were without a win since October yet got three points against Frank's side. Earlier in the season, Nottingham Forest had suffered a poor run of results yet the only game they won over the festive period was a 3-0 home win against Spurs. Bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers were also stuck on two points for a long time yet got one of them against Spurs.

It even happened last season when Ange Postecoglou was in charge and newly-promoted sides Ipswich Town and Leicester City were both on losing runs yet recorded wins against Spurs.

Before this game, West Ham were ten without a win in the Premier League and suffered an embarrassing defeat to Wolves in their last away game. At home, they lost to Forest and many thought that would be a result that would send them down but then this three points has closed the gap again.

Yet another injury

Ben Davies went off on a stretcher after he suffered a leg injury in the first half. It will not be used an excuse but over the last two seasons they have suffered a huge number of injuries. Key players have been missing for a long time and it is likely that the Welshman will now spend a significant amount of time on the sidelines.

Spurs' next game is against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League and it has been suggested that they could be missing as many as 15 first team players for the game against the German side.

Lack of a goalscorer

Despite the injuries, there is an argument that the players who are playing should be doing more. It was not the first goal that Romero has scored this season but their centre back has at times been a key scorer.

Randal Kolo Muani started up front but is yet to score in the Premier League.The club have previously invested in Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel but they have not delivered the goals and were criticised for their performance against West Ham.

Conor Gallagher has recently joined and he may be able to add some goals to the side but Frank will likely need to prove to fans and the club's owners that he should be the man given more funds to strengthen the side.

They can still make a success of the second half of the season as the table remains close but it feels like Frank has to see an improvement in results sooner rather than later.

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