Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia believes that his side's meeting with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend is a big game, but also a match which brings with it a sense of sadness as the Red Devils feel they, like Spurs, should be fighting for the Premier League title.

The Red Devils are set to take on the Lilywhites in an important league encounter this Sunday, with both teams looking for wins for reasons of their own.




While a win for Manchester United would advance their chances of playing in the Champions League next season, Mauricio Pochettino's team will also want a win as they look to make progress towards winning the league title.

According to the Ecuador international, matches against teams from the top half of the table, such as Tottenham and Leicester, are always important and the Red Devils will want to make sure that they continue winning and build winning momentum. The game also brings a sense of sadness for Valencia though.
 


"It'll be exciting for us as we're playing for our place in the Champions League next season", Valencia told his club's official website.  

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"And when you're playing against opponents who are challenging for the title, in the shape of Tottenham and Leicester, they are going to be big fixtures.

"It will be interesting but a little bit sad in a way because we feel that we should be fighting for the title itself.

"But we have to make sure we keep on this winning run in order to achieve what we need to.

"We know how important historically the Champions League is here, how happy it would make the fans to qualify for that competition again for next season.

"So the main battle is to get back into that top four."

The Red Devils are placed fifth in the league table with 53 points from 31 matches and trail fourth placed Manchester City by just one point. Tottenham meanwhile are second on 62 points.