English Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United - Preview & Prediction
Winless in three straight Premier League contests, 8th-placed Tottenham Hotspur will be keen to get back on track while hosting 5th-placed Manchester United, who are unbeaten in 11 straight games in all comps. Kick-off - at 15:00 PM ET on Friday, June 19.
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Spurs Winless In Six
After going unbeaten for seven straight games in all competitions between Jan. 14-Feb. 16 (W5 D2), Tottenham Hotspur have declined considerably since, currently riding a six-game winless run in all comps (D2 L4). Spurs have failed to win any of their past three Premier League outings (D1 L2) and are entering the restart of England’s top division, sitting 8th in the standings (W11 D8 L10), seven points below the top-four. The team has split its past six domestic fixtures (W3 L3), losing to top-six teams Chelsea, Liverpool, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but beating reigning champions Manchester City 2-0 on Feb. 2.
England international Harry Kane tops Tottenham’s scoring chart with 11 goals, having buried four snipes in his last six appearances. Goalie Hugo Lloris, meanwhile, is 17th in the Premier League with 51 saves. He has registered two clean sheets in 12 outings this year and concedes a goal every 71 minutes on average. Spurs have buried the 5th highest quantity of goals so far this season (47) while taking the 11th highest number of shots per game (12.1). The team is 8th in both ball possession (51.9%) and passing accuracy (81.1%).
Red Devils Bring Heat
Prior to the Premier League’s postponement following the coronavirus outbreak, Manchester United was enjoying a tremendous run of results. The Red Devils had gone unbeaten since Jan. 26, spanning 11 games in all competitions (W8 D3), collecting nine clean sheets along the way. The last defeat of Manchester United was on Jan. 22, when the team dropped a 2-0 home decision against Burnley, going W3 D2 in the Premier League since. The Red Devils are 5th in England’s top division (W12 D9 L8), qualifying for a place in the Champions League as it stands due to 2nd-placed Manchester City’s ban from European soccer for next season (subject to an ongoing appeal process).
Having netted 14 times in the league so far this season, English striker Marcus Rashford leads Manchester United in goals. David De Gea, meanwhile, occupies the 11th position in the goalkeeper chart, having stopped 76 shots in the Premier League this year. He has amassed eight clean sheets across 29 contests and allows a goal every 87 minutes of play. The Red Devils have netted the 6th highest amount of goals during the ongoing campaign (44) while delivering the 4th highest quantity of shots per game (14.8). The team is 7th in ball possession (53.3%) and 5th in passing accuracy (82.4%).
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur are returning to Premier League action on the back of a six-game winless run in all competition (D2 L4), having failed to bank a single victory in England's top tier for three consecutive games (D1 L2). And while the team is finally injury-free, don’t expect a walk in the park against Manchester United, who had gone unbeaten for 11 successive matches in all comps ahead of the enforced coronavirus break (W8 D3). The Red Devils have lost three of their past four trips to Tottenham (W1 L3), but have beaten the Lilywhites on the very last two occasions, including this season’s reverse fixture at Old Trafford (2-1, with Marcus Rashford scoring twice). Manchester United have been resurging since the January arrival of Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes and will cause plenty of trouble to a team that has already lost half of its past six domestic fixtures (W3 L3).
Best bet:
Manchester United to win (+140)
Marcus Rashford to score anytime (+145)