If Tottenham fail to beat Manchester United today, Ange Postecoglou's side will have gone more than a year without a win against a 'big-six' rival.
Since their 2-1 win over nine-man Liverpool on September 30, 2023 – a game marred by a dreadful VAR decision in their favour – Spurs have managed draws with Manchester City and United, but lost to Arsenal twice, Chelsea twice and City and Liverpool.
Aside from Postecoglou's record-breaking first 10 games in charge, Spurs' biggest result is still comfortably the 4-0 dismantling of Aston Villa in March, which looked set to be a watershed but was followed by six defeats in their final 11 games of last season.
Postecoglou knows his side are in a process, still adapting to his demands and growing as a collective, and there have been encouraging signs so far this term, including in the 1-0 defeat by Arsenal and particularly against Brentford last time out.
Still, Spurs could do with a landmark win over one of the league's biggest clubs to boost confidence in Postecoglou's project within the squad and fanbase.
There is also the need to address their poor away form. Since the 4-1 defeat by Chelsea in November, which ended their unbeaten start last season, Villa, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United are the only teams Spurs have beaten on the road in 15 away games. It is becoming an issue but, again, a win at Old Trafford could go some way to changing the dynamic.
United are, in many respects, a great example of why Postecoglou's unshakeable faith in his playing style and unwillingness to compromise should be considered a positive, rather than used as a stick to beat the Australian.
Erik ten Hag, the United head coach, has said his team "don't have the players" to play like his free-flowing Ajax side, which lost to Spurs in the 2019 Champions League semi-final, and the result is a hodgepodge team still lacking a clear identity after more than two years under the Dutchman.
Postecoglou would never adopt the same attitude and his Spurs side are far more holistic than United already, even if they are still seeking consistency.
United, though, remain capable of pulling off big results, underlined by their FA Cup final win over City in May, and have the individual brilliance to down any opponent.
Tottenham's determination to dominate possession may suit Ten Hag's counter-punching side, who will aim to hurt the visitors on the break.
This is not exactly 'El Sackico' - the meeting between Nuno Espirito Santo's Spurs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United in November 2021, which was followed by the Portuguese's dismissal - but the two managers are under a degree of pressure to get a positive result.
If Spurs are to meet Postecoglou’s lofty expectations, they need to start winning against the teams around them and on the road
Both clubs have won just two of their opening five league games and the heat on Ten Hag increased with Wednesday's calamitous 1-1 home draw with FC Twente in the Europa League.
Postecoglou's job, by contrast, is not under pressure and he watched his side respond to going down to 10 men after seven minutes to comfortably beat Qarabag 3-0 in their own Europa League opener on Thursday night.
Even so, if Spurs are to meet their head coach's lofty expectations, they need to start winning against the teams around them and on the road - and, as it stands, United again look the most beatable of the so-called 'big six'.
