David de Gea – De Gea will be keen to concede less goals than his counterpart Anders Lindegaard did in this fixture last season.
Chris Smalling – With Rafael and Phil Jones still presumably injured, Smalling is set to carry on at right-back.
Nemanja Vidic – With Smalling at right-back, Vidic will probably remain at the heart of defence where he performed excellently last weekend against Norwich.
Jonny Evans – Evans will need to be rested in the near future after several consecutive appearances but his increasing authority could be vital in pressing up on Tottenham in this fixture.
Patrice Evra – Evra is another who will need resting soon but surely not for such an important match.
Antonio Valencia – Returning from suspension, Valencia is set to gain his place back on the right with Ashley Young set to start on the left.
Michael Carrick – Having returned from injury against Norwich, Carrick will now be looking to get into his full stride with a second consecutive appearance.
Tom Cleverley – Any of Cleverley, Fletcher or Giggs could partner Carrick on Thursday but the in-form Cleverley is perhaps most likely to be selected.
Ashley Young – Young is showing his best form of the past two seasons currently and has earned another start on New Year’s Day.
Wayne Rooney – Despite suffering from a mild injury, David Moyes has hinted at the importance of Wayne Rooney for big games, suggesting that the Englishman will start against Tottenham despite not being 100%.
Danny Welbeck – The in-form Welbeck will be looking to continue his good recent goalscoring form against Spurs.
Formation: 4-4-1-1
After an almost luxurious three day gap between fixtures, Moyes will pick as full a strength side as possible for this important match. If the above line-up is correct then Ryan Giggs, Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj will make for a strong bench capable of changing the game.