Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United: Back Home and Looking for Vital Points

tottenhamThere are eight games left in this Premier League season and Spurs still have much to play for. Undoubtedly, a section of fans will be glad to see 2020/21 put to bed but we are in a Wembley final and we remain in contention for a top four finish.

That quest to finish inside the Champions League slots would have been easier had we managed to see off Newcastle at St James’s Park last Sunday. Another late equaliser has derailed us but can we get back on track against much tougher opposition?

Team News

Reports suggest there are just two injury concerns for Spurs and they both lie in defence. Ben Davies and Matt Doherty were both ruled out of the Newcastle game and neither is expected to be ready for Sunday’s encounter with Manchester United.

Elsewhere, there are no reported issues within the squad and there are no suspensions coming up. Clearly there are many questions for Jose Mourinho to answer in the light of recent form so it could be an interesting press conference ahead of the match.

Match Odds

There are odds-against figures on all three possible outcomes on Sunday with Manchester United out in front. The visitors are favourites for the win at 16/11 with SportNation and RedZone. Victory for Tottenham is next at best industry odds of 2/1 with Unibet while the same bookmaker has the top price on the draw at 5/2.

Prior to Thursday night’s Europa League tie with Granada, Manchester United had won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches. The solitary defeat saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men go down 3-1 away to Leicester City.

None of us need to be reminded of our own immediate form and another game where we snatched a draw from the jaws of victory. Newcastle’s late equaliser was hard to take but few of us would have been shocked to see it. Manchester United are a different prospect and perhaps the defence will be more focused against a more dangerous side.

Side Markets

This is one of those games where Harry Kane has competition at the head of the first goal scorer betting. Our main striker remains favourite to open the scoring at best odds of 9/2 with Unibet while Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes is just behind at 23/4 with the same bookmaker.

Son Heung-Min is next at 13/2 with Unibet once again while United’s Edinson Cavani is available at 6/1 with Betway. Other options from among the Tottenham squad include Carlos Vinicius at 6/1 with Betway, Gareth Bale at 15/2 with VBet, Lucas Moura at 12/1 with Unibet and Erik Lamela at 14/1 with Unibet.

Harry Kane

Harry Kane

Elsewhere, Both Teams to Score is predictably short this week with RedZone quoting best industry odds of just 13/17. Neither side has been especially prolific recently but United have scored in each of their last five games while Spurs’ only blank came in that forgettable away tie in Zagreb.

There could be some better value in the Total Goals betting where SportNation and RedZone have reasonable odds of 9/10 to go Over the 2.5 line. We claimed a profit on Over 3.5 goals last week at Newcastle although we’d have rather waived it than see Tottenham’s opponents convert late on. Over 3.5 looks a good prospect once again and it’s available for Sunday at 11/5 with BetFred.

That leaves us with some suggestions in the correct score market. A positive stake on a 2-1 home win will currently bring odds of 10/1 with SportNation and RedZone while the same scoreline in favour of Manchester United is available at 37/4 with the same two bookmakers. A share of the points and a 2-2 draw is on offer at 12/1 with BetFred and GentingBet.

Last Season

The corresponding fixture from the 2019/20 season was the very first game following Project Restart. Ultimately, it ended in a 1-1 draw after Steven Bergwijn’s early strike was cancelled out by a late equaliser. It all sounds very familiar…

In truth it was a very strange atmosphere for the first game to be played behind closed doors. The break had allowed us to get key players back with Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min having originally been ruled out until the end of the regular season. It was a bright opening but one that we couldn’t sustain as the game went on.

Of course, much is being made by the live TV broadcasters about the reverse fixture between these two teams. Our 6-1 win at Old Trafford was aided by Anthony Martial’s sending off but it came at a time when we were free scoring and there appeared to be some positive times ahead. It would be too much to hope for a repeat scoreline but there’s no reason why we can’t claim the three points if we’re switched on throughout the side.

Verdict

manchester unitedIt’s hard to know what to expect from Sunday’s game. The form book suggests a lacklustre display from Tottenham against a side that is on a good run themselves. It’s probably not a good time to be facing Manchester United based on their own solid record in recent weeks.

Of course, we never know quite what to expect from Spurs and maybe this is one of those games where the manager gets team selection right and everyone switches on. Our recent record against United is a good one and we can lift things for the bigger teams.

In terms of confirmed tips, we’ll start with Son Heung-Min to score at any time in 90 minutes. Sonny is overdue following an injury break and he’s unlikely to be out of touch for too long. There could be a few goals in this one and we’ll just hope that we score the majority of them. Over 3.5 goals and either team to win by one offer good odds with which to round things off.

Best Bets

  • Over 3.5 Goals at 11/5 with BetFred
  • Son Heung-Min to score at any time in 90 minutes at 11/5 with Unibet
  • Winning Margin of one goal on either side at 13/10 with Betway

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