This coming weekend, for match day 25 of the current Premier League season, Manchester United return to action as they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford for the early kick-off on Saturday, at 12:30 GMT/7:30 ET. 

The Red Devils will be eager to make it four wins from four to kickstart the Michael Carrick era, after wins against Manchester City, Arsenal, and Fulham in his first three games. The gaffer will be facing one of his previous clubs as a player in this one. 

So, what can we expect from Spurs?

Unfortunately, the North London outfit have become quite infamous to United. They defeated the Reds four times last season, including the ill-fated Europa League final in Bilbao last May. They were seconds away from making it five wins in a row, but a Matthijs de Ligt header deep into stoppage time secured a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in November.

It has been a difficult first season at the helm for manager Thomas Frank, with the Spurs currently sat in 14th place, closer to the relegation zone than sixth place, both by position and by points.  

There have been some recent signs of life, however. They fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with City last weekend, after a bright second-half performance. Additionally, they beat Borussia Dortmund and Frankfurt in the Champions League to comfortably secure a top-eight finish. 

One of the biggest performers in the draw with City was Conor Gallagher, who signed from Atletico Madrid last month. His energy has given Spurs some much needed intensity in the middle of the park, and it is something that United will need to be wary of. 

Both of the goals last weekend were scored by Dominic Solanke, who made his first appearance since August last month. Since he came back into the team, he has scored four goals in just 323 minutes of action. 

However, he was forced off late against City, so he will be touch-and-go for this game. With his injury history this season, Frank may not want to risk anything. It would be a huge, huge boost for Carrick's side if he is unable to play, or at least start. The striker scored in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford last season.

After a slow start to life in England, marquee signing Xavi Simons has begun to thrive recently. His ball carrying, dribbling, and off-the-cuff creativity are pivotal to the way the Spurs attack under Frank. Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo will have to be on form to stop him tomorrow. 

What is clear is that the visitors have struggled defensively this season. Last time out, they went with a back three of Joao Palhinha, Cristian Romero, and Radu Dragusin, which is far from optimal. Any remotely similar defence in this game will give United many chances to exploit, particularly behind. 

It will be interesting to see if Carrick goes for Benjaim Sesko up front after his goal last weekend, or continues with Bryan Mbeumo through the middle. You feel that Sesko deserves a start, but Mbeumo will relish the chance of playing against his former Brentford manager, and he found the net in the reverse fixture, so let's see. 

In their last four domestic fixtures, Spurs have conceded twice in all of them, and in the game before that, they conceded three times. That includes games against Burnley and West Ham United. So we will surely see opportunities to find the net tomorrow at lunchtime. 

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