Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United, Premier League restart: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction?
What is it?
The fourth match back after the Premier League's unscheduled three-month holiday. This match should have been played back in March. Jose Mourinho, now coach of Spurs, ought to know the visitors well given that he was in charge of them until December 2018. And before the coronavirus hiatus, United were on their best winning run since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge, with ten games unbeaten in all competitions.
When is it?
Friday 19 June, the second match in a run of ten fixtures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday — staggered out one-by-one.
What time is kick-off?
At 8.15pm. The earlier match that evening is Norwich City v Southampton at 6pm.
What TV channel is it on?
Sky Sports have the rights, but a plum fixture like this was never going to be one of the games that they donated to the free-to-air channels, so you'll need a subscription to watch it. Every remaining league match this season will be televised due to the absence of fans from stadiums.
Read more: How to watch Premier League matches free
What is the team news?
Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba are set to return for United after long injury lay-offs, raising the prospect of the Frenchman playing alongside Bruno Fernandes in midfield, with Rashford spearheading the attack. Phil Jones could be missing though, having sat out of a recent 11 v 11 practice match in training because of a minor injury.
Spurs also have a high-profile returnee, with Harry Kane set to take up his place in the side again. Dele Alli will not, however, becuase the FA have punished him with a one-match ban for making a racially insensitive joke about coronavirus.
What are they saying?
As part of our series of Premier League preview analysis, JJ Bull examined how Pogba and Ferndes might be able to dovetail in midfield. His theory is that Fernandes' ability to unpick a deep-lying defence could combine with Pogba's wide range of passing — as long as there is defensive back-up for both of them. Here's a snippet.
For balance in a midfield three, if both Fernandes and Pogba are told to attack, they need an anchor like Nemanja Matic beside them to maintain defensive stability. Against teams where United know they will dominate possession, a shuttler like Fred can link passes with the defenders and allow Pogba to dictate play. Solskjaer finally has the difficult dilemma of selecting a midfield by choice rather than being dictated to by circumstance.
What are the odds?
Spurs - 13/8
United - 6/4
Draw - 5/2
Get the latest free bets and offers for the return of the Premier League
What is our prediction?
There have been suggestions that Kane, while back, is not necessarily back to full fitness. Combine that with the absence of Alli and it looks like Tottenham have the weaker attack - especially given the range of resources newly available to Solskjaer. Much will rest on the midfield battle, where the great unknown is whether Pogba and Fernandes will get in each other's way (indeed whether they even start together).
Verdict: 2-0 United
Join our football experts, Jamie Carragher, Jason Burt and Sam Wallace for a discussion and Q&A about the return of the Premier League on Tuesday June 16 at Midday. Sign-up to attend, here.
