‘Very interesting’ – Man Utd star makes Conte claim ahead of Spurs clash 

Nemanja Matic has warned his teammates the challenge Tottenham Hotspur will pose on Saturday will be far different from the one shown earlier in the season, owing to Antonio Conte now being in charge of the North London club. 

United beat Spurs 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September, in what proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Nuno Espirito Santo at Spurs. 

The reverse fixture at Old Trafford has been billed as a six-pointer in the race for Champions League qualification, with both United and Spurs chasing down fourth-placed Arsenal. 

Conte’s men sit three points behind their North London rivals heading into the weekend, having played a match more than the Gunners. 

United, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back after their 4-1 loss in the Manchester derby last week. 

Matic, who played under Conte at Chelsea, has admitted that the Red Devils face a difficult challenge on Saturday, particularly on the back of Harry Kane’s upturn in form. 

The Serbian told Manchester United’s official website: “We have to be focused now more because, since then, they change the manager, we also changed the manager, so we have to take this game as a new challenge.

“Especially because the last match they played some good football, they won 5-0 against Everton. It’s going to be very interesting. I watched the last game and Harry Kane is in a good moment. I’m sure we’ll have a response.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I feel positive heading into this game as we have tended to do well under Conte against teams that look to press us high up the pitch and commit bodies forward. 

United under Ragnick have tended to take the initiative at home and one can thus expect plenty of space for the likes of Kane and Son to exploit on the counter. 

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