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Manchester United take on Luton Town in the Premier League this afternoon and both clubs will be desperate for the three points, but for differing reasons.
The Red Devils have been in fine form of late, winning every game they have played this year, except the 2-2 draw with Tottenham last month.
The Mancunian side could also close the gap to Spurs to three points after the North London side surprisingly lost at home to Wolves yesterday afternoon. Luton on the other hand, have managed to pull themselves out of the relegation zone into 17th and will be aiming to extend their gap from the drop zone.
This will be the first league match between the two at Kenilworth Road since 1992, however the two sides did play out a league cup tie in September 2020, where United ran out 0-3 winners.
In anticipation of the huge match, here are three big themes that United fans are talking about in the hours leading up to the match.
A reunion with familiar faces
United academy graduates Teden Mengi and Tahith Chong will both be aiming to make a big impression against their former side this afternoon.
Mengi spoke recently about his tough but necessary decision to leave Old Trafford in the summer and he has only gone from strength to strength as he has played 20 times for the Hatters this season. The England under-20 international already put in a fine display at his former home ground when United narrowly defeated Luton 1-0 in November, through an unlikely Victor Lindelof strike.
The 21 year old’s fine form has even seen Bundesliga leaders, Bayer Leverkusen, show interest in whisking him away in the coming transfer window.
Chong has also been heavily involved this campaign, playing 22 times for the club and scoring a famous goal against Liverpool to secure a 1-1 draw for the side from Kenilworth Road.
Rasmus Hojlund aiming to continue to match more legends
After a tough start to life in Premier League football, Hojlund has started to feel much more at home in England’s top division.
The Dane recently became only the second player to score on his 21st birthday in Premier League history against West Ham at Old Trafford.
Furthermore, the former Atalanta striker’s goal against Aston Villa last week was his fifth consecutive in the Premier League and he became the second youngest player to achieve such a feat after Nicolas Anelka.
Were the man from Copenhagen to score at Luton, he would “become just the fourth United player to score in six successive Premier League appearances, emulating Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Eric Cantona”.
50 up with trip to Kenilworth Road
When the Red Devils take to the field, it will be the 50th different stadium the club have played at since the beginning of the Premier League era in 1992.
United are one of only six teams who have managed to play every season of Premier League football and consequently, have travelled to a range of grounds up and down the country, even in Wales at Cardiff and Swansea.
Erik ten Hag’s side will be hoping to celebrate the landmark with a strong performance and crucially, three points taken back to Old Trafford in their pursuit of Champions League football.
The match will kick off at 16.30 GMT and be shown live on Sky Sports for viewers in the United Kingdom.
