Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United Tips
On Saturday, August 19 at 5:30 pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United in their first home game of the season. Ange Postecoglou’s start with Spurs was an entertaining 2-2 draw against Brentford away from home, while the Red Devils kicked off the season with an unconvincing 1-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Both teams need to do better in the second game, especially in terms of defensive work.
Looking at these teams’ previous head-to-head matches makes little sense if we want to know what to expect from Saturday’s clash as Spurs have a new coach with a radically different style. Instead, their opening games of the season seemed as reasonable sources of inspiration for our Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United tips.
Both teams to score? Yes
We’ve mentioned above that both Spurs and Man United showed their defensive weakness in the first game of the season. This claim is supported by stats, as Postecoglu’s men conceded twice against Brentford. As for Erik ten Hag’s team, it was only a miracle that Andre Onana ended the game with a clean sheet: the Red Devils finished allowed 2.14 xG (expected goals) in that match, which is typically enough for at least one goal to go in.
Defensive problems are not fixed over one week, so it is likely that we will see an open game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Saturday with both teams bound to make some mistakes at the back.
The bookmakers are fairly confident of this outcome too, with Bet365 giving 1.53 odds on it.
1st Goal – Tottenham
If the clash against Brentford taught us anything, it is that Tottenham under Postecoglou will not sit back and wait for their opponents to make the first move. Instead, the Australian coach wants his team to push high from the first minute, which is exactly the reason why they opened the score already in the 11th minute at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Playing at home, Spurs will again be motivated to start strong and look for the early goal. Given Man United’s recent defensive performance, it is not outlandish to expect the home side to have a few scoring opportunities in the opening minutes. They have lost their main firing power after the departure of Harry Kane, but they still have capable forwards like Richarlison and Son Heungmin.
In any case, this event is viewed as riskier when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United tips, with Bet365 giving 2.10 odds on it.
Both teams to receive 2+ cards
What to do when your defenders cannot physically or tactically contain the opposition? Correct, commit fouls! And with enough fouls, you start accumulating yellow and maybe even red cards. This was true for both teams in their opening games, as Spurs recorded 13 total fouls and 4 yellow cards vs Brentford and Man United recorded 15 total fouls and 2 yellow cards vs Wolves.
The game on Saturday will be even more intense due to the quality of the players on the two teams. A quick counter down the wing from Marcus Rashford? Foul him! James Maddison gets past two men in the middle of the pitch? Foul him!
The two sides will prioritise possession and yellow card offences will be inevitable in the fights for the ball, especially towards the end of the match.
The bookmakers seem to agree, giving 1.67 odds on both teams to receive more than two cards in the game.
Remember to always gamble responsibly and take this article as a suggestion rather than a guide to action. First and foremost, always trust your own judgement!