Manchester United vs. Tottenham: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

The opening day of the Premier League season has arrived after a long summer, and for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, things kick off with a tie with a glamorous reputation. 

Memorable moments just seem to happen in United vs. Spurs games. From a 3-3 draw in the 1980s to a couple of superb Sir Alex Ferguson-era comebacks, goals and incident are part of the lore of this fixture. 

So, with apologies for the above passage now surely jinxing this game to being a dull 0-0, let's take a look at what we can expect from Louis van Gaal and Mauricio Pochettino ahead of a game that has been a long time coming. Premier League Football is back! 

Date: Saturday, 8 August 2015

Time: 12.45 p.m. BST/7.45 a.m. ET

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester

TV Info:  BT Sport 1 (UK Only)/NBCSN (US Only)

Live Stream: BT Sport Website (UK Only)/NBC Sports Live Extra (US only)

Team News

The big news where United are concerned is that David De Gea will not play. Van Gaal confirmed this in his Friday press conference, courtesy of Full Time Devils. Apart from that, Van Gaal confirmed to MUTV (h/t the club's Twitter feed) that there were no injuries. 

He did, however, tell the press that Marcos Rojo and Bastian Schweinsteiger were behind in their preparation. In Rojo's case, that was due to joining up with the squad late and in Schweinsteiger's because he joined the pre-season tour of the U.S.A. straight from his holidays. 

Pochettino also has goalkeeping concerns, although Hugo Lloris featured in Spurs' final friendly against AC Milan on Wednesday. He is also waiting on the fitness of Ryan Mason, Roberto Soldado and Andros Townsend. On Friday, he told Tottenham's official website:

"

We have a good feeling for Hugo and Ryan, maybe not to compete for 90 minutes, but to be in the squad.

Soldado didn't play in the Audi Cup because of a problem in his lower back, Andros also has a problem in his shoulder. We need to assess them in the last training session today.

"

Predicted Lineups

TeamStream from Bleacher Report

Van Gaal has been open about his intention not to select De Gea. Elsewhere, he confirmed three of the back four after United's final pre-season game against Paris Saint-Germain. The rest of the XI is predicted based on the formation United played on tour. Morgan Schneiderlin gets the nod over Schweinsteiger based on Van Gaal's comments regarding the latter's fitness. 

For Spurs, other options than the above exist. Kieran Trippier impressed during pre-season, and if Lloris' fitness is a doubt, then Michel Vorm could feature. There is also the possibility that Erik Lamela could start on the right with Moussa Dembele dropping in alongside Nabil Bentaleb. 

Players to Watch 

For United fans, it will be the new signings who excite the most. Watching Memphis Depay in action at Old Trafford will be an intriguing prospect, given his clear potential and enormous range of skills. 

Also crucial will be Wayne Rooney's first outing of the season. Much rests on United's captain given he is set to lead the line for the campaign ahead. A good start could provide a well-timed confidence boost. 

For Spurs, their own England international centre-forward will be in the spotlight. A spectacular breakthrough season last time out will need to be followed up so Harry Kane is not remembered as a flash in the pan. For long-term success, he must prove himself all over again. 

Key Battle

Looking at the predicted lineup, United seem vulnerable at centre-half. If Kane targets Daley Blind and Spurs can get plenty of the ball to Kane, there could be trouble for Van Gaal's men. 

For United, two things are needed in order to stop that happening. The first is to dominate possession—something they are well equipped to do. The other is to provide cover for their centre-halves from the centre of midfield, something both Michael Carrick and Schneiderlin should be able to do well. Spurs' midfielders can look to overload them in order to make them less effective.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

In attack, Depay, Mata and Young will need to overcome the attentions of Eric Dier and Nabil Bentaleb and Spurs' full-backs. United's attackers will also need support from their deeper-lying midfielder colleagues, particularly if Dembele drops deep to help defend.

If Spurs can make the final third congested, United will have to improvise a way through, something they have struggled to do under Van Gaal.

Odds

The odds for the game, at the time of writing, per Odds Shark are: 

Manchester United Win: 4/7

Draw: 3/1

Tottenham Hotspur Win: 5/1

Thanks to Ben McAleer of WhoScored for his input on Spurs' predicted lineup