Manchester United will look to bounce back from their defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night when they welcome Huddersfield Town to Old Trafford in the Premier League this weekend.
United were heavily criticised for their performance at Wembley, but will be confident of returning to winning ways against a team that have slipped into 17th position in the table following a disappointing run of results.
Manchester United
© Offside
United would have been feeling pretty good about themselves ahead of their trip to Tottenham on Wednesday night. Indeed, they entered that match off the back of five straight wins in all competitions without conceding a single goal.
It took Tottenham just 10 seconds to take the lead at Wembley, however, and Mauricio Pochettino's side ultimately ran out 2-0 winners over the Red Devils. It was an abject performance from a United team that have now slipped 15 points behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
Jose Mourinho's side are still three points clear of third-placed Liverpool and indeed fourth-placed Chelsea, but the defeat at Tottenham was a reality check for a team that still has a lot to work on in the final months of the campaign.
United recorded a 3-0 win over Stoke City in their last league game at Old Trafford, and will fancy their chances of picking up all three points this weekend. Mourinho's side will then travel to Newcastle United on February 11 ahead of a clash with either Huddersfield or Birmingham City in the FA Cup fifth round.
The first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash will take place away to Sevilla on February 21, before the small matter of a home game against Premier League champions Chelsea towards the end of this month.
United were perhaps as poor as they have been all season against Tottenham on Wednesday night, but they have won nine and lost just one of their 12 Premier League matches at Old Trafford this season.
There is no question that Mourinho will be looking for a response in this match as Alexis Sanchez prepares to make his home league debut for the Red Devils.
Recent form: DDWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWL
Huddersfield
© SilverHub
Huddersfield have earned plenty of admirers for their style of football this season, but head coach David Wagner will be concerned by his team's disappointing run of form as the business end of the campaign draws closer.
Indeed, a run of seven Premier League matches without a win has seen the Terriers drop into 17th position in the table. They are only one point clear of 18th-placed Southampton, and could drop into the bottom three this weekend if other results go against them.
Huddersfield have not actually collected all three points since winning 4-1 at Watford on December 16. Since then, they have drawn three and lost four of their seven fixtures. Worryingly, the four defeats have come in their last four games.
They have been conceding goals for fun in recent weeks – three at Leicester City on January 1, four at home to West Ham United on January 13, two at Stoke City on January 20, and three at home to Liverpool on Tuesday night.
Only Stoke (50) have shipped more league goals than Huddersfield (44) this season, and the Terriers will visit a United side that are wounded following the disappointment of their Wembley performance on Wednesday night.
Huddersfield have also lost eight of their 12 away Premier League matches this season, but they did record a 2-1 win over United when the two teams met at the John Smith's Stadium in the reverse match back in October.
Recent form: DDLLLL
Recent form (all competitions): LWLLDL
Team News
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Mourinho is expected to make changes following the Tottenham clash, with Luke Shaw and Juan Mata among those that could come into the team.
Shaw could be given the nod ahead of Ashley Young at left-back, while Mata is pushing for a spot in the final third of the field. Marcus Rashford is also an option if United's head coach changes his attacking players.
Marouane Fellaini will not feature after aggravating a knee problem against Tottenham, but Sanchez and Anthony Martial are both expected to keep their spots behind Romelu Lukaku.
Nemanja Matic looked out of sorts against Tottenham while Paul Pogba was substituted in the second period, but both should start.
Tom Ince could return to the Huddersfield XI after starting on the bench against Liverpool last time out, while Collin Quaner is also an option for the Terriers.
Record signing Steve Mounie should again lead the line, although it is unlikely that Laurent Depoitre will feature as Wagner prepares to alter his formation.
Elias Kachunga will again miss out for the visitors due to ligament damage.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Martial, Sanchez, Mata; Lukaku
Huddersfield possible starting lineup:
Lossl; Hadergjonaj, Jorgensen, Schindler, Kongolo, Lowe; Mooy, Hogg, Billing; Ince; Mounie
Head To Head
Huddersfield's 2-1 win over United earlier this season was the first time that they had beaten the Red Devils since March 1952.
Saturday will bring the first meeting between the two teams in Manchester since March 1972, with United winning 2-0 in that fixture.
In total, the pair have locked horns on 46 occasions in all competitions. United lead the head-to-head 20 wins to Huddersfield's 11.
We say: Manchester United 2-0 Huddersfield
United will be desperate to return to winning ways following the Tottenham match, and they will host a Huddersfield side that have disappointed in recent weeks. We fancy the home team to collect a fairly routine three points.
Matt Law
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