Tottenham v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Tottenham face Man Utd in the English Premier League on Saturday evening. Spurs have a terrible record against the Red Devils and are winless in four matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against these opponents. The hosts finished a full 15 points behind United last season and will want to close the gap.

Spurs Form

Spurs started last season well and looked like possible title contenders. By the end, they finished 11 points off the top four and lost five of their final eight matches with 21 goals leaked. They came from 3-0 down to 3-3 versus Liverpool before losing 4-3. There were also successive defeats at Aston Villa and then 3-1 at home to Brentford.

The final day saw a palate-cleansing 4-1 win at Leeds to condemn their opponents to relegation. Tottenham finished eighth in a very poor campaign overall. This season started with a positive 2-2 draw at Brentford under new coach Ange Postecoglou. Spurs have nearly 70% possession and 453 passes in the opposition half as a new playing style began to emerge.

Spurs Team News

Spurs have lots of players unavailable but Rodrigo Bentancur is the main absentee. Ryan Sessegnon, Bryan Gil, and Tanguy Ndombele are others who miss out. The big question mark is over Cristian Romero who went off with a concussion against Brentford and may be left out. Eric Dier or Davinson Sanchez would partner Micky van de Ven at the back.

Richarlison will again lead the line after Harry Kane’s sale. Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp are set to start in preference to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who is expected to be sold in this transfer window.

Spurs Motivation

This Spurs side is built to attack this season. Postecoglou is going to play possession football with his fullbacks inverting at times and at least four attacking players in the lineup.

Tottenham will take the game to Man Utd and look to outscore their opponents. There will be no ‘clean sheet first’ approach under the Australian coach.

Man Utd Form

United have won five league matches in a row. In between that, they were beaten 2-1 in the FA Cup final by Man City as last season finished with a third-place finish and the Carabao Cup to their name. After 1-0 losses at West Ham and Brighton in rounds 33 and 34, they were in danger of dropping out of the top four.

Last season finished with wins vs Wolves (2-0), Bournemouth (1-0 away) and a 4-1 home thumping of Chelsea to secure a return to Champions League football. They beat Fulham 2-1 on the final day. The 2023-24 campaign got started with a 1-0 home win against Wolves. United conceded 18 shots in the second half, 1.98 xG overall, and should have conceded a late penalty. They could quite easily have lost that fixture.

Man Utd Team News

United are missing a few players for this match including big-money striker Rasmus Hojlund. Erik Ten Hag must decide whether to use Marcus Rashford down the middle again or to recall Anthony Martial. At the back, Lisandro Martinez took a knock vs Wolves so Victor Lindelof is on standby to replace him.

The Dutch coach may stiffen up his midfield by starting Christian Eriksen or even Scott McTominay alongside Casemiro. Bruno Fernandes could play off the right wing with Antony left on the bench. Jadon Sancho is pushing to start after making an impact from the bench in Monday night’s win.

Man Utd Motivation

United will play to win this match. If it’s a similar setup to the Wolves game with just Casemiro anchoring midfield, then Man Utd have no choice but to attack.

That midfield setup is not equipped to absorb pressure and it will lead to a wide, open game. Ten Hag’s team selection could inform the approach and how many goals to expect in the fixture.

Key Stats

Manchester United have won their last 5 matches (Premier League).

Man Utd have lost just 1 of their last 9 EPL matches vs Tottenham (6 wins, 2 draws)

Man Utd have scored 2+ goals in their last 5 matches vs. Tottenham (all competitions)

Spurs are winless in 4 matches vs. Man Utd at their new stadium (2 losses, 2 draws)

Tottenham’s last 10 EPL matches have seen Over 2.5 goals on 9 occasions

Tottenham have lost 5 of their last 9 matches (23 goals conceded)

Verdict

This match promises plenty of goals. Both sides look open and attacking but vulnerable at the back. Any of the three results are possible but the stats suggest that United won’t lose the match.