Tottenham v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Tottenham face Man Utd in the English Premier League on Wednesday night. This is a must-win match for Spurs who are nine points off the Red Devils in the race for a top-four finish. They sacked acting head coach Cristian Stellini and appointed Ryan Mason on Monday as they look to keep their season alive. United have won the last four matches between these sides.

Spurs Form

Spurs have been in poor form for months on end. Their last 13 matches across all competitions have seen just four victories. They were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by AC Milan after a 0-0 second-leg draw at home. That result followed an FA Cup exit to Sheffield United and a 1-0 loss at Wolves.

Their recent league results have been a disaster. They threw away a 3-1 lead at Southampton to draw 3-3 and conceded a last-minute equaliser at Everton. A 2-1 home win against Brighton came partly due to a VAR howler in their favour. A 3-2 home loss to Bournemouth in the last minute was bad enough but losing 6-1 at Newcastle, after being 5-0 down after 21 minutes, was them hitting rock-bottom.

Spurs Team News

Caretaker coach Ryan Mason has Lucas Moura available after a ban. He could be tempted to freshen up the attack with either Richarlison or Arnaut Danjuma being handed a start in place of Dejan Kulusevski. In goal, Hugo Lloris was subbed at half-time vs Newcastle but should start this one.

Emerson Royal is absent at right wingback and both Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma are out injured in midfield. Spurs will surely revert to a back five with Ben Davies or Davinson Sanchez (or both) coming into the XI.

Spurs Motivation

Spurs have to win this match and Ryan Mason will hope to get a reaction from the players.

They will have to look to play at a high tempo, score early and try to take three points. Only a victory would give them a realistic chance of finishing in the top four.

Man Utd Form

It’s been an up-and-down run of results for Man Utd. They beat Brighton on penalties on Sunday after a 0-0 draw to reach the FA Cup final. It was a good morale-booster having crashed out of the Europa League before that, losing 3-0 away to Sevilla. Over their last 23 matches, United have only lost three times. Poor defeats at Liverpool (7-0) and Newcastle (3.68 xG conceded in a 2-0 defeat) put real doubts on the rest of their season.

They responded well to the loss at St. James’ Park with three league wins in a row. The beat Brentford 1-0 before destroying Everton 2-0 at home as they created seven clear-cut chances and put up 3.46 xG. Their last league match saw a straightforward 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest.

Man Utd Team News

For Erik Ten Hag, this is a crucial match. Anthony Martial could start up front despite the short turnaround time from the weekend’s match. Bruno Fernandes is expected to miss out having left the stadium on crutches on Sunday. Marcel Sabitzer could start in the number ten role.

In defence, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are absent and Harry Maguire didn’t make the squad at Wembley. It could therefore be Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof at centre back with Diego Dalot starting at left-back.

Man Utd Motivation

United sit six points clear of Tottenham in the top-four race with two games in hand. A victory here would take the Red Devils to the brink of securing Champions League football for next season.

A draw would be a decent result too, meaning three wins from their final seven fixtures would see a finish above Tottenham. With a depleted defence, Ten Hag may set up more conservatively than usual.

Key Stats

Tottenham have lost 5 of their last 11 home league matches

Spurs have scored 2+ goals in each of their last 5 home matches (EPL)

Man Utd have won the last 4 meetings between these sides (11-3 aggregate)

Man Utd have lost just 3 of their last 22 matches

Man Utd have scored 2+ goals in 17 of their last 23 matches (all competitions)

Verdict

This should be an open match with goals to enjoy. Spurs are leaking for fun and Man Utd have injuries at the back. The goal markets could be the wisest route to take on the betting front.

Best Bet: Over 3.5 goals at 2.55

Alternative Bet: Both Teams to Score + Over 2.5 goals at 1.86

Alternative Bet: Man Utd win/draw double chance + Over 2.5 goals at 2.60

Goalscorer Tip: Kane and Rashford to both score anytime at 5.66

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis