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Manchester United host Tottenham on Monday night in an early-season clash that will have an important say in defining both of their campaigns.

Not only do the Red Devils desperately need to bounce back from that horrendous performance against Brighton last time out, but they also require a positive result to prove they will be a genuine part of this season's Premier League title race rather than merely fighting it out for a top four finish.

For Spurs, meanwhile, obtaining decent away results against key divisional rivals has been a recurring struggle throughout Mauricio Pochettino's time at the club, and they too will want to show that Liverpool aren't the only team capable of challenging Manchester City for the English crown.

So, how will this one unfold? Football FanCast take a look at where the 8pm kickoff will be lost and won...

The Key Battle - Eric Bailly vs Harry Kane

Eric Bailly was mercilessly pulled apart by Glenn Murray's movement against Brighton and if he found the Seagulls' wily old fox too hard to deal with, he'll struggle even more to adequately marshal Harry Kane. Bailly will likely be given a more dependable partner than Victor Lindelof on Monday night, but the Ivorian's weaknesses were glaringly exposed at the Amex Stadium and Kane will have certainly taken note. The England skipper ended his August scoring hoodoo last week as well, so United should expect Kane to be firing on all cylinders.

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The Key Dynamic - Contrasting formations

It remains to be seen whether either manager will stick to the setups they used last week, simply because this represents a completely different kind of game for both teams. But assuming they do, there will be an interesting contrast in systems; Tottenham's formation last time out was essentially England's 3-1-4-2 from the World Cup, whereas the summer acquisition of Fred suggests Mourinho is pretty intent on playing 4-3-3 on the most part this season.

The back three certainly makes sense for Spurs bearing in mind the sheer physicality of Romelu Lukaku, and there have been a number of instances over the last few seasons where three-man defences have left 4-3-3 teams unstuck. But either way, it will add an interesting tactical dynamic to Monday's game and make it a question of who can impose their formation on the other team.

The Deciding Factor - Does Mourinho still have the dressing room?

It's much easier to go hiding away from home, as Arsenal showed throughout last season, but Monday's clash is nonetheless a real barometer of the mentality of Manchester United's dressing room right now. Was the Amex Stadium simply the result of complacency, or the consequence of what appears to be an increasingly fractious atmosphere around Old Trafford, where neither the board, the manager or the players are singing from the same hymn sheet.

Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho particularly appear to be at loggerheads, but the defeat to Brighton suggested a much larger portion of the squad aren't enjoying life under the notoriously divisive Portuguese manager either. If they want Mourinho out of the job, hosting a key divisional rival is about as perfect opportunity as it gets to down tools. It's a dangerous mentality, and a real indictment on the game today, but we've seen it countless times before in the Premier League.

The Impact Subs - Juan Mata & Erik Lamela

Erik Lamela - who Transfermarkt value at £18million - changed the game for Tottenham last time out. The Lilywhites netted just a minute after he entered the fray from the bench and the Argentine directly set up Harry Kane for the final goal in a 3-1 win, showing the variety he offers Mauricio Pochettino by driving forward from midfield to play a delicate through pass into the England international's path.

It probably wasn't enough to earn Lamela a starting berth this week, but the attacking midfielder has steadily established himself as Pochettino's go-to man when games are tight and Spurs need something a little different in the middle of the park.

And considering the strong likelihood that Monday's encounter will indeed be a cagey one, the same applies to Juan Mata. We're expecting the Spaniard to miss out on the starting XI after struggling to have much influence against Brighton, but he's probably the only player in United's squad who can squeeze through a telling pass around the box. Mourinho rarely starts Mata in big games but if the scores are level late on, he could end up having a decisive impact from the bench.