Tottenham Hotspur are still very much in the Premier League title race, but with just six matches left and a seven point gap between them and league-leading Leicester City, they can’t afford any slip-ups now. That makes this match against Manchester United a tricky one -- Manchester have had their struggles this season, but they have won four of their last five matches to climb to fifth place in the table. They’re not going to be an easy team to beat, even with the homefield advantage of White Hart Lane playing in their favor.
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Tottenham face a tricky match against the Red Devils
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Still, they’ll be feeling good about their chances. It took an own goal for Manchester to beat Tottenham in the season’s opening week, and Spurs are playing much, much better on the whole than they were early in the season, while Manchester have taken a decided step back. It won’t be an easy match by any means, but a win here would be a huge boost to Tottenham’s confidence levels -- and it might just be enough to see them push through to the end of the season as hard as they can, chasing Leicester until the bitter end.
Key player -- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
At times of late, Kane has played a bit like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He hasn’t had quite the same freedom to his play that we’ve come to expect from him, seeming to feel the gravity of being in a title race. Despite that, though, Kane has scored six times in his last four league matches -- just imagine what he could play like if he did have that freedom? Still, stopping Kane while he’s on this hot streak will be incredibly difficult, and Manchester United’s defense will have to be on top of their game to keep him in check.
Key matchup -- Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur) vs. Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United)
Eriksen’s playmaking skill has been a major driving factor for Tottenham’s successes this season, and whether he starts on the left wing or behind Kane, he’s going to spend a lot of time drifting into areas of the pitch that Schneiderlin will be working to defend. The French midfielder is Manchester’s best-suited player to stopping Eriksen cold -- but it’s not a guarantee that he’ll be able to do it. This battle will be vital to the outcome of the match, and will bear close monitoring as the game unfolds.
Tottenham Hotspur injuries and suspensions
Out: Nabil Bentaleb In doubt: Erik Lamela, Jan Vertonghen, Clinton N’Jie
Manchester United injuries and suspensions
Out: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Wayne Rooney, Adnan Januzaj, Will Keane, Luke Shaw In doubt: Phil Jones
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 11 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. local
Venue: White Hart Lane, London, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet One (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
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