Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has brushed off talk that he could replace Jurgen Klopp at Premier League leaders Liverpool FILE- Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is under pressure to deliver a cup for the team.
Image: Glyn Kirk/AFP
Making it into the Premier League's top four this season is going impossible for Manchester United and Tottenham this season after indifferent Premier League campaigns.
Both football giants are struggling to keep head above water in the league and actually have an outside chance of being dragged into a relegation scrap. They are currently closer to the relegation positions than the top four, with Manchester United are currently 13th in the league on 26 points and Tottenham 15th on 24.
United are 10 points ahead of 18th-placed Ipswich. but 16 points adrift off fourth-placed Chelsea after Sunday's 3-1 home defeat to Brighton.
However, both teams have one last shot at Champions League football next season via the Europa League, which resumes on Thursday. As in the past, the winner of Europe's second-tier club competition gains automatic entry into the Champions League group stage.
United sit seventh in the 36-team Europa League table ahead of Thursday's at home to Scottish giants Rangers.
A place in the top eight would secure direct passage to the last 16 and give manager Rubin Amorim some much-needed time on the training ground to embed his style of play.
"Without training it is really hard," said Amorim, who has faced a relentless schedule since taking charge in early November. "I knew it was going to be hard to put a completely new idea in the moment, but when you lose games and don't win three games in a row it becomes really hard."
Amorim has won just five of 15 games so far but two of those have come in his two Europa League ties against Bodø/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is desperately in need of a win when they travel to Hoffenheim to ease speculation over his future.
Spurs have lost seven of their last nine Premier League games, but sit ninth in the Europa League standings behind Rangers and United.
Postecoglou pledged to end a wait since 2008 for silverware in his second season in charge and his tenure is likely to be defined by whether he can deliver in the Europa League, FA Cup or League Cup in the coming months.
A mounting injury list has been at the heart of Tottenham's troubles and Postecoglou is determined to get through in the hope his returning stars will make the difference in the knockout stages.
Spurs are ninth in the table, outside the top-eight only on goal difference.
"I've got great motivation to get through this so when we do get our players back, we can get something significant out of our season," said the former Australia boss.
Additional reporting by AFP
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