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After what has felt like an eternity without football, Tottenham Hotspur is finally back in action. The Premier League resumed this week with empty stadiums, determined to finish out the remaining nine matches of the 2019-20 season. The next two months will be a completely foreign experience for everyone involved, and there is no telling what the quality of play will look like, especially early on.
Spurs currently sit in eighth place in the table, seven points out of fourth place, but just four points behind Friday’s opponent, Manchester United, who occupy fifth. With Manchester City sitting in the top four, the fifth place side is likely to play Champions League football next season, keeping the home side’s distant hopes alive, although there are plenty of teams within striking distance for the top five.
Premier League Table
Place | Team | Matches | Goal Diff | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
Place | Team | Matches | Goal Diff | Points |
1 | Liverpool | 37 | 50 | 96 |
2 | Man. City | 37 | 62 | 78 |
3 | Man. United | 37 | 28 | 63 |
4 | Chelsea | 37 | 13 | 63 |
5 | Leicester | 37 | 28 | 62 |
6 | Wolves | 37 | 13 | 59 |
7 | Tottenham | 37 | 14 | 58 |
8 | Sheffield | 37 | 2 | 54 |
9 | Burnley | 37 | -6 | 54 |
10 | Arsenal | 37 | 7 | 53 |
For anyone needing a refresher (warning: turn back while you still can), Tottenham was dreadful leading up to the stoppage of play. The final six matches included a first leg home defeat to RB Leipzig in the Champions League Round of 16, key losses to Chelsea and Wolves who sit ahead in the Premier League table, a loss to Norwich to bow out of the FA Cup, a draw away to Burnley, and a beatdown from Leipzig in the return leg to end the European campaign.
Given their current form, maybe the break was not the worst thing in the world for Spurs. Now most players are back healthy, and while the climb into the top five will not be easy, a win against United would close the gap to just one point for the time being. This season has caused plenty of frustration, but somehow there is still much that still can be achieved.
Lineups
!
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 19, 2020
Lloris (C), Aurier, Dier, Sanchez, Davies, Winks, Sissoko, Lamela, Bergwijn, Son, Kane@WilliamHill latest (18+) ➡️ https://t.co/M0u9J6A1F7 #THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/4UWZYvVbjk
Ladies and gentlemen: presenting our starting XI to face Spurs! #MUFC #TOTMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 19, 2020
How to Watch
Date: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 3:15 p.m. ET, 8:15 p.m. BT
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
TV: NBCSN (USA), Sky Main Event (UK)
Streaming: NBC Sports Live (USA), Sky Go Extra (UK), fubo.tv (free trial)
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