The Premier League is truly back and the first weekend of action will be welcomed in by a mouth-watering clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
It is a crunch game when it comes to Champions League qualification for next season, with both teams still hoping they can earn a place in Europe’s elite club competition.
But there are a number of issues for both managers to ponder, from team selection to how to cope with the big tactical battles. Sportsmail has taken a look at the issues confronting them and how they could pan out…
Both Jose Mourinho (left) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (right) have issues to consider
How will they line-up?
Tottenham Hotspur: Jose Mourinho had a lot of decisions to make over lockdown. Spurs had been appalling just prior to the break, losing their last game 3-0 away at RB Leipzig.
Compared to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he also has more players available again that looked set to miss out on the rest of the season before the pandemic swept Europe. He’s already made it clear that Moussa Sissoko, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will all start on Friday night.
Expect Sissoko in midfield with Eric Dier and Harry Winks, Son on the left, Kane through the middle and Mourinho’s trusted Lucas Moura on the right. Dele Alli’s suspension means he misses out.
Serge Aurier, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen could be the back four in front of Hugo Lloris, especially with Japhet Tanganga out injured.
Tottenham will welcome back Moussa Sissoko, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min on Friday
Manchester United: Solskjaer will not have wanted a three-month pause to the action. United were on an 11-game unbeaten run and making a concerted charge up the table when football had to be halted.
As a result, he will not be desperate to make many changes to his line-up at all. He has already made it clear that Paul Pogba will likely begin the game on the bench as he is eased back to full fitness.
Instead, Marcus Rashford should be the only really new name in the side on the left-hand side. Anthony Martial is likely to get the nod up front, with Mason Greenwood on the right.
A defence of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw in front of David de Gea will be supported by Nemanja Matic and Fred in midfield, with Bruno Fernandes at No 10.
How Manchester United could line-up against Spurs – with Marcus Rashford back in the side
What are the potential weaknesses in both sides?
Tottenham: It has to be said that Spurs have not been great since Jose Mourinho took charge.
Eric Dier has not been great for the last couple of years, while their defence has been atrocious at times. Serge Aurier, in particular, has hardly helped his reputation with his performances.
Mourinho has never settled on a defensive set-up, primarily due to injuries, and Spurs seem unable to keep a clean sheet.
Solskjaer and his United front three – Greenwood, Martial and Rashford – will be licking their lips at what lies in store on Friday night.
Serge Aurier, the Tottenham right-back, will be viewed as a possible area to exploit on Friday
United: Solskjaer’s side really were imperious before the lockdown – but it is worth pointing out that they have been a momentum-driven side during his tenure.
Take his caretaker spell, for example. They were brilliant as he earned the job, then awful after he penned his contract. United were not good for long stretches of this season before their run. The break could see the form tail off.
In terms of those displays, the only real weakness is Luke Shaw at left-back. This is not to say that he has been playing badly – just that in a side at the top of their game, he did not stand out.
Still, United will really be optimistic before facing Spurs. There’s been little in the way of issues in their most recent games.
Luke Shaw might be viewed as one of the few weak points in United’s likely line-up for Friday
Who has the upper hand in the Champions League battle?
Check the table and the answer to this one is simple – United. They are in fifth, which could lead to a place in the competition if Manchester City’s ban is upheld. They are also just three points from fourth.
Spurs, meanwhile, are down in eighth and seven points away from fierce rivals Chelsea. They did not look capable of bridging that gap before the lockdown.
A significant chunk of the notion of Spurs even having a shot at Champions League qualification comes from the idea of Mourinho firing his men up for a nine-game mini-season.
If he does, that would be a serious turnaround compared to what came before.
Spurs, eighth in the Premier League, are still pushing for the Champions League places
Who went into lockdown in better form?
Tottenham: Mourinho’s side were truly awful before the break. They won none of their last five games, which included a loss at Chelsea, a defeat by Wolves and a draw at Burnley in the league.
Spurs were also knocked out of the FA Cup after losing a penalty shootout to Norwich and dumped out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig in a 4-0 aggregate loss.
The lockdown could not have come at a better time in terms of a possible reset for Spurs.
Tottenham were awful before the lockdown and lost 3-0 at RB Leipzig in their last game
United: Solskjaer, on the other hand, would have been desperate to keep going. They won four out of their five before the break, their only draw coming at Everton.
Admittedly, two of those wins were in the Europa League – but they beat Watford and Chelsea prior to that run. Not only that, but they overcame Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in their last league game.
With an unbeaten run of 11 games, they truly were the Premier League’s form side.
United had not lost any of their last 11 matches before the enforced break from football
What are the key potential battles?
Lucas Moura vs Luke Shaw
Moura has become a trusted figure under Mourinho, in part because of the injuries suffered by his other forward players. He has featured in every one of the Portuguese’s 26 games in charge.
While those injuries were an issue, though, he had to play as a makeshift centre-forward. And he struggled in that role, not the target that Mourinho wanted.
On Friday, he could be used on the right, his preferred berth. That will put him up against Shaw. As Graeme Souness wrote on Friday: ‘Luke Shaw has qualities at left back, but could still get himself leaner and meaner’.
Shaw has talent but pace is not his biggest gift. For Moura, it is a way of life. Spurs could exploit that mismatch on that flank to create chances.
Lucas Moura’s pace could be used to exploit Shaw during the game on Friday night
Harry Kane vs Harry Maguire
The battle of the Harrys will be one of the crucial clashes on Friday night. An amped up Harry Kane, who has missed six months of action, against the man known as Slabhead? It’s a potentially brutal encounter.
It’s worth saying that when the two England team-mates met earlier this season, Maguire kept Kane quiet as United won. The season prior, they did not meet in either clash due to unavailability.
Yet the season before, 2017-18, Kane scored three in two encounters against Maguire in the league and had a lot of joy.
If anyone will be desperate to score, it will be Kane. The man feeds on goals and has not eaten for half a year. Maguire will need all of his talent to stop him.
Harry Kane will be desperate to score when Spurs play after a long absence due to injury
Striker Kane will have to overcome his England colleague Harry Maguire on Friday evening
The Spurs defence vs The United forward line
Tottenham’s last clean sheet came nine games ago, and it was only one of two in 2020. It is fair to say that Mourinho has not really got his defence going since he took charge.
On the other hand, Solskjaer has options when it comes to forward players. Rashford, Greenwood and Martial is the sort of dynamic trio that will cause nightmares. Bruno Fernandes has the talent to pick holes in a defence that has resembled Swiss cheese at times.
The Norwegian will also be able to turn to Dan James, Odion Ighalo, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira on a strong bench. It is a serious pool of talent to make a change with.
That’s without even mentioning Paul Pogba, who can provide a real x-factor from the bench. You would expect United’s talented attackers to be relishing Friday night.
Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford will relish facing Spurs’ defence