Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United meet on Saturday for a high-stakes early season clash, with both sides aiming to prove themselves after their opening fixtures raised questions about their tactics and lineups. Read on for Last Word on Football’s predictions for Tottenham vs Manchester United and the best odds for the match at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United – Predictions and Best Odds
Entertaining Start to the Postecoglou Reign
Ange Postecoglou has been heralded as the man who can bring a more exciting brand of football to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium after Antonio Conte’s conservative style of play failed to impress fans. The opening day 2-2 draw with Brentford certainly was entertaining, with high-tempo, end-to-end football for most of the 90 minutes.
James Maddison in particular had an impressive debut, registering two assists and being Spurs’ clearest threat. However, the likes of Heung-Min Son and Richarlison were disappointing in Harry Kane’s absence, leaving question marks over the new-look attack.
Watch: Mason Greenwood’s Potential Manchester United Future
Judging by how open their next opponents were in their victory over Wolves, there could be opportunities for Spurs to add to their points tally. Brentford proved a tough side to contain at their West London home, as expected, but now Postecoglou’s side can expect an even tougher challenge at Old Trafford. However, if United perform as they did in their season opener on Monday, Spurs will certainly fancy their chances.
Three points for Manchester United – But Questions Remain
Erik ten Hag will have been very disappointed with his team’s performance in their 1-0 win over Wolves. United were dominated in the midfield area and were spared a potential draw after a referring error denied Gary O’Neil’s side a clear penalty and allowed Andre Onana to escape consequence-free, despite clattering an opposition forward as he failed to claim a cross. The referees for that fixture have since been dropped from Premier League duties for this weekend.
While it was a poor performance from the Red Devils, the three points will be all that is remembered if the Dutch manager can get his side to play better football in the coming weeks. United clearly lacked a focal point as the front three failed to click. As a result, there may be changes to the line-up this weekend, with Jadon Sancho one to watch after providing much-needed energy in his appearance from the bench.
Read More: ‘Ripped Apart’: Man Utd Stars Criticised – But Erik ten Hag Made Big Tactical Errors
Tactically, improvements will be needed from United as Yves Bissouma’s impressive performance last weekend, combined with Emerson Royal moving into midfield from full-back, may cause another overload in the middle if Ten Hag cannot get the right balance this weekend. This promises to be a fascinating match-up and it is very challenging to pick an obvious favourite.
Recent Head to Head
The Red Devils have had the upper hand in recent history, winning four of the last five meetings and drawing the other. This record includes victories in two of the last three games away from home. Goals are normally a given in this fixture, as four of the last five games have produced three or more goals.
However, it’s worth noting that this is a much-changed Spurs side compared to the squads that visited Old Trafford in those meetings. The Lilywhites will hope that a new-look team will change their fortunes.
Tottenham v Manchester United Prediction
This is a tough one to call, with last week’s performances suggesting the home side has an edge. The away side could be without Lisandro Martinez due to injury and they may struggle to contain Spurs’ midfield. There should be goals and it is likely to be the home side who come out with a massive three points to kick-start their season.
Home advantage could pay dividends and United’s midfield struggles will open the door for Postecoglou’s side to dominate if Ten Hag does not get it right this weekend. The Manchester side will be eager to make vast changes and improvements in training before this game.
Read More: Journalist Drops Major Mason Greenwood Update as Return Now in the Balance
Current Odds: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
At the time of writing, Manchester United are slight favourites to win away from home, at 12/7, with the draw priced up at 12/5. The odds of a Tottenham victory are 2/1.
[metabet_core_game_tile query=”soe/manchester_united” size=”350×300″ style=”fraction” site_id=”lastwordonsports”]
Main Image Credit: Bluejam, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
