Tottenham Hotspur Vs Manchester United
Friday 19 June 2020 – 20:15 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Tottenham DrawNoBet
Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 16 June 2020)
Preview: The English Premier League made its long-awaited return earlier in the week. On Friday, it’s the turn of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to strut their stuff, as sides vying for the top-four meet inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London.
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Table of Contents
Tottenham Hotspur Preview – Stronger for the enforced break?
Purely from a footballing perspective, the recent break brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic could benefit Tottenham (8th – W11 D8 L10) enormously. They were seemingly no nearer to challenging for a top-four spot, claiming one of the last nine points to fall seven points behind Chelsea in fourth and were producing some truly abysmal performances to match. On top of this, their squad was being stretched to its limits.
During the intervening months, Jose Mourinho has had ample time to rectify all that was going wrong while welcoming back a host of key individuals who were previously unavailable to him. Moussa Sissoko had become an integral cog in the midfield; Heung-Min Son is electric and a potential match winner, while Harry Kane’s goals but, also his leadership as club captain, were sorely missed. All three are back in training.
Suddenly, Spurs look a genuine force again. The question now, of course, is how fit that trio are and how quickly they are able to adjust to the very specific demands Jose has for this team. One aspect the manager has to improve, though, is results in the crunch fixtures. Tottenham faring horribly versus the traditional ‘Big Six’ this season, winning only one of eight said encounters (W1 D2 L5) thus far – though that was at home to Man City in February.
Manchester United Preview – Ole’s men raring to go for another big clash?
Whereas the opposing dugout will have relished a break in the action, one team who could feel especially aggrieved were Manchester United (5th – W12 D9 L8). The Red Devils were moving through the gears and gathering momentum in their pursuit of the top-four, registering three wins – which included hugely significant victories over Chelsea and Man City – and two draws in their final five fixtures to climb to within three points of Chelsea in fourth.
Even though the league’s suspension curtailed some of their rhythm and resurgence in form, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will at least be thankful for the additional time it provided to those players who were previously looking on from the sidelines. Now, a tantalising prospect of January recruit Bruno Fernandes, who has been a revelation since his move from Portugal, linking up with Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford could soon become a reality for the Norwegian.
Furthermore, this opening fixture plays straight to United’s strength this season: being a team for the big occasion. Chelsea and Man City were both beaten home and away. Liverpool rarely dropped points but did so in Manchester in a score draw. Meanwhile, a Rashford double sealed a 2-1 victory in the reverse of this fixture at Old Trafford. The only downside, perhaps, a slightly suspect away record in 2020 so far, winning one of four said matches (W1 D1 L2).
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Tottenham Vs Manchester United Betting Advice
In March, when this fixture was originally pencilled in, there seemed only one winner as these two prepared to meet for a second time in 2019/20 – Man Utd prevailing first time around, winning 2-1 at Old Trafford. Tottenham had failed to win their last three league games, picking up a single point. Conversely, Man Utd were on a roll after big wins over Chelsea and Man City formed part of a five-game unbeaten run.
Tottenham Vs Man Utd – Key Facts
- These teams were in contrasting forms before the break. Tottenham winless in three (D1 L2) while Man Utd were unbeaten in five (W3 D2).
- Tottenham‘s last four league games featured both teams scoring, however, only one of Man Utd‘s previous ten Premier League fixtures seen this bet land.
- Man Utd may have won 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier in the season but retain a poor record in the league as the away side, winning on one of their past seven league visits (W1 D3 L3) to Tottenham.
The fact both sides are much closer to full strength for this rescheduled encounter arguably benefits Tottenham more. As while both managers can welcome back important players from injury, it is Mourinho who was dealt a huge reprieve with his team in real trouble back in March. Moreover, the hosts’ record in this fixture is stronger than some realise, with Man Utd’s smash-and-grab 1-0 win last season a first in London since 2012 (W1 D3 L3).
Best Betting Odds – Tottenham Hotspur Vs Manchester United
Tottenham – 39/20 (Unibet)
Draw – 5/2 (BetFred)
Manchester United – 7/5 (Betfair)
