Mark Lawrenson backs Tottenham Hotspur to beat Manchester United

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Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United in the Premier League tonight.

Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Tottenham Hotspur will beat Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley Stadium tonight.

Spurs head into the game after a couple of disappointing displays, having drawn 1-1 at Southampton before only mustering the same scoreline against League Two side Newport County in the FA Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men need to get back on track with a win, especially given that they now sit five points off the top four after Liverpool’s win over Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night.

Tottenham need three points, but they face a tough test at Wembley Stadium tonight, as they host Manchester United in a crucial game in the battle for Champions League places.

Jose Mourinho’s men beat Yeovil Town 4-0 in the FA Cup on Friday night, and have won their last three Premier League outings too.

The Red Devils remain 12 points behind league leaders and bitter rivals Manchester City, and will be desperate to win tonight in order to prevent Spurs from moving five points behind them.

Ahead of the game, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Mourinho will be looking to sit back and hit Spurs on the break, just as they did in their 3-1 win over Arsenal back in December.

Lawrenson noted that a draw isn’t good enough for either side, and he is backing Spurs to claim a 2-1 win, believing that United won’t get much joy out of Pochettino’s men.

“I don’t think a draw is much good for both teams – United are looking to cement their place in the top three and Tottenham are trying to break into it,” said Lawrenson. “But I don’t think United boss Jose Mourinho will be thinking what damage can his players do to Spurs – he will be thinking what damage can Spurs do to us and will alter his line-up accordingly.”

“United will still try to nick a goal, of course, but there is no way they will go there and look to completely dominate the game or even to try to open Spurs up. They did the latter against Arsenal at the Emirates in December, and were able to hurt them on the break, but this Spurs team is set up very differently, and I think the home side will win it,” he added.