The Manchester United who arrive in north London on Sunday are a revitalised force who hope to make Tottenham Hotspur their seventh scalp in eight league outings. Louis van Gaal’s team drew the other match in their impressive run, meaning United have taken 22 points from the 24 available and last lost nearly two months ago, when Manchester City defeated them 1-0 in the derby.

Last season’s corresponding fixture at White Hart Lane ended in a 2-2 draw for David Moyes’s team, although it was Spurs’ 2-1 win in the reverse meeting at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day that signalled the beginning of the end for the Scot.

Van Gaal’s side now stand third and are flying, so the Dutchman’s concerns going into 2015 are more mundane than his predecessor’s were at this stage last season. But not being able to properly prepare his side, with the midday kick-off at White Hart Lane coming just 43 hours after the end of Boxing Day’s 3-1 win over Newcastle United, clearly irks Van Gaal.

“I cannot prepare my team like I have to prepare,” he said. “We have team meetings, we have a training session always 11 against 11, simulating the opponent, we cannot do that now. We have to play within 48 hours. Uefa and Fifa [say] it’s forbidden to play within 48 hours, but, OK, it’s England.

“On Sunday when we travel [there] we are facing two matches in just three days. After [the Newcastle] fixture we will not be able to train ahead of the Spurs match as players need 48 hours’ recovery time for a number of reasons.

“The physicality of a competitive match puts great strain on a player’s body so they need to fill up their energy stores due to the fatigue on their muscles and this can only be done by resting.

“On top of that we also need to prepare the players mentally and tactically, with our analysis for the game ahead. That is not an easy task, although I recognise that it will be the same for all teams throughout the coming days.”

Despite Van Gaal’s irritation with the festive fixture logjam, his impressive work in taking United to within 10 points of José Mourinho’s Chelsea suggests United will be well prepared for what is a high-stakes meeting with Spurs.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team do not only present the chance of another three points and an eighth win from nine matches. There is the opportunity to defeat a close rival for a Champions League place: victory would stretch United’s advantage over Spurs to eight points, while defeat would leave United just two points better off.

Ashley Young, who impressed again in a left wing-back position against Newcastle, said: “It’s a busy period that we’re entering, so it’s important to be getting wins. We know we’ve got tough games coming up so, fingers crossed, we can keep up this momentum and the hard work. It’s always nice to be involved with the winning team. We’re playing well and things are going well on this run. We want to keep the momentum going and I think we showed how well we have been doing.

“When you’re playing with confidence, you put in performances in the way that not just myself, but the whole team are doing. It’s fantastic to be involved in. As long as we keep this run going, I don’t think there are many teams who will be able to stop us. Especially with having Christmas Day off [granted by Van Gaal], it was vitally important to get the three points.”

After Spurs, United are again on the road, travelling to Stoke City on New Year’s Day. Young said: “We have tough away games coming up now and we’ve got to make sure that we’re prepared in the right way — and I’m sure we’ll be able to get the three points if we are.”

Van Gaal wants his side to dominate the opposition, so he was pleased by their Boxing Day performance against Newcastle and is now looking for the same at Tottenham. “I am hoping that we come out of this busy festive period with some consistency which will carry us into the second half of the season,” he said. “It is team spirit that I am looking for. It’s not about one or two players doing very well in a match, it’s about the whole team performing.

“There have been one or two blips along the way, but gradually we are getting better all the time, which is pleasing. Since I started managing in the Premier League I have come to learn that there are no easy sides to play in the league.”

Ángel di María’s availability is in the balance after he joined United’s list of injured players on Christmas Eve, sustaining a pelvic injury in training that ruled him out of the Newcastle victory. But the way United are going the British record signing may not be needed, a fair indication of how Van Gaal is moulding them into a formidable side.