Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Man United v Tottenham
BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson is backing Tottenham Hotspur to secure a 2-0 win at Manchester United on Wednesday night
Mark Lawrenson is tipping Jose Mourinho to mastermind a Tottenham Hotspur victory at Manchester United on Wednesday night.
Mourinho will return to Old Trafford for the first time since he was sacked as Manchester United 12 months ago following a 3-1 loss to Liverpool FC.
The Portuguese head coach made a return to Premier League management last month when he was appointed as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor.
Mourinho has led Spurs to three successive victories to make a promising start to his spell in charge of the north London side.
The Lilywhites have beaten West Ham United and Bournemouth 3-2, while Spurs came from 2-0 down to secure a 4-2 victory over Olympiakos in the Champions League.
His Manchester United replacement Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is coming under increasing pressure at Old Trafford following the Red Devils’ inconsistent performances.
The Red Devils have only managed to win two of their last six games, while Manchester United have drawn 3-3 with Sheffield United and 2-2 with Aston Villa in their last two outings.
Former Liverpool FC defender Lawrenson is backing Spurs to secure a comfortable 2-0 victory over Manchester United upon Mourinho’s return to Old Trafford.
“Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho’s return to Old Trafford, almost 12 months after he was sacked, is going to be fascinating,” Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
“I am not bothered about the reception he gets from the Manchester United fans, I want to see what team he picks – because that will tell us whether he thinks he can go there and win, or whether he is thinking “let’s not lose”.
“With Jose, it is usually the latter more often than the former but I am actually going to go for a Spurs win.
“Mourinho has not changed a massive amount technically or tactically in his short time in charge, but he is a really good man-manager. That’s how he has got Dele Alli playing again, for starters.”
Lawrenson added: “Another reason I’m backing Spurs is the way United are playing.
“United’s £89m midfielder Paul Pogba is close to returning from his ankle injury, but I don’t think he is going to come back and be their saviour – he is more likely to come back and want to clear off.
“I have been tipping United to win more often than not in the past few weeks because they have got some outstanding players, and I have been expecting something to click.
“But the way the team is playing doesn’t reflect the ability of the players within it, which is a big problem for United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to sort out.”
Spurs are in fifth place in the Premier League and six points adrift of Chelsea FC in the race to secure a top-four finish.
