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Football tips: Tottenham vs Manchester United
2.5pts Emerson Royal 1+ total shots at 5/6 (Sky Bet)
1.5pts Marcus Rashford to score anytime at 8/5 (William Hill)
1pt Oliver Skipp to be carded at 4/1 (Sky Bet)
Kick-off time: 17:30 BST, Saturday
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Home 9/5 | Draw 11/4 | Away 13/10
Heading into this game, I didn't think I would have been more impressed by Tottenham in gameweek one than Manchester United.
Spurs had a tougher game at Brentford compared to United's home clash against Wolves, but there were way more positives for Ange Postecoglou than Erik ten Hag.
Tottenham, as is the case with 'Ange-ball', played a high-tempo, attack-minded brand of football that saw them dominate for long stretches against the Bees, and also create plenty of chances.
But, as is usually the case in the early stages of the Postecoglou process, there are gaps to be exploited, especially when, individually, Tottenham's defenders aren't great. The last bit of that sentence is mainly aimed at Davinson Sanchez, who came on for the injured Cristian Romero, and the Colombian could feature from the start here.
Manchester United were lacklustre at best on Monday night, outplayed for large parts by a team touted for relegation, and fortunate to escape with a point, let alone three. This game represents another interesting test for Ten Hag's new midfield, which was left exposed against Wolves.
There is no doubt they have the quality to carve Spurs open, but they could also see themselves overrun, especially with Tottenham's inverted full-backs creating a potential overload in the home team's favour.
All in all, we could be in for an intriguing, and high-scoring, contest, especially if the pair approach this game in the same manner as they did their gameweek one match-ups.
What are the best bets?
We've touched upon the Tottenham inverted full-backs, and one of them, EMERSON ROYAL, got on the scoresheet last week by taking up a more central position.
That is something we should see more of, as it is a staple of Ange-ball, meaning the 5/6 price available for Emerson to have just 1+ TOTAL SHOTS looks on the large side.
The same bet is as short as 4/11 in places, and given he averaged 0.88 shots per 90 minutes last season when in a team who weren't anywhere near as attack-minded as they are this season, he should again pull the trigger.
Remember, all we need for this bet to win is for him to take a shot - it could go into 'Row Z' for all I care, or get blocked a split-second after it's left his foot or head.
Given how I expect this game to play out, with Tottenham dominating territory, we can expect United to look towards the counter-attack as their main source of threat, bringing MARCUS RASHFORD TO SCORE ANYTIME into play at 8/5.
Despite United not being at their best, Rashford still managed to get off four shots equating to 0.43 xG against Wolves playing as the number nine, and I expect him to get a lot more space to operate in this contest - which he should relish.
Last term was a sensational scoring season for the England international, netting 17 times in the league and averaging 0.58 xG per 90 minutes. If he hits that same level this campaign we can expect plenty more goals from him, starting on Saturday.
Given that I think this game will be high-scoring, I was expecting closer to 13/10 for this bet given his numbers, so the United front-man looks a value play.
A final bet that I love the look of at the prices is to back OLIVER SKIPP TO BE CARDED.
Now, the same bet is as short as 6/4 in places and I'd have it closer to the market average of 2/1, yet we are getting a huge 4/1 with Sky Bet which is simply too good to turn down.
Skipp was carded in Spurs' opener at Brentford, and was booked seven times in the league last season and six the season before that.
If we look at his card per 90 since the start of the 2021/22 season, it stands at an impressive 0.41, which would imply a price of around 6/4.
Skipp will be in and amongst it in a hotly-contested midfield battle, and has the cynical nature about his game that could see him cautioned for a number of reasons.
The referee for this game is Michael Oliver, who averaged a huge 3.9 cards per game when refereeing matches between the 'Big Six', so is a ref to rise to the occasion.
BuildABet @ 27/1
- Over 2.5 Goals
- Both teams to score
- Marcus Rashford to score anytime
- Oliver Skipp to be carded
- Emerson Royal 1+ total shots
CLICK HERE to back with Sky Bet
Tottenham did create a decent amount against Brentford (1.45 xGF), but also shipped plenty of chances, especially on the counter-attack (1.91 xGA).
It was a similar story for Manchester United, who looked menacing in spells but also extremely vulnerable in other moments against Wolves (xG: MUN 1.97 - 1.72 WOL), meaning goals at both ends are highly likely on Saturday.
Score prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)
Team news
Cristian Romero is a doubt for Tottenham as he suffered a head injury last weekend against Brentford, with the Argentine potentially joining Bryan Gil (groin), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee) and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Tanguy Ndombele wasn't involved last week, though the reason for his absence wasn't explained.
Manchester United are also potentially missing an Argentine centre-back, but Lisandro Martinez's ankle injury has been played down, suggesting he should be fit to start on Saturday.
Should he not, Victor Lindelof would likely step in ahead of Harry Maguire, who looks set to stay at Old Trafford for the 23/24 season after his proposed move to West Ham didn't go through.
Rasmus Hojlund (back), Kobbie Mainoo (ankle), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Amad Diallo (knee) and Tom Heaton (calf) make up the known absentees for Ten Hag.
Predicted line-ups
Tottenham: Vicario; Emerson, Sanchez, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Skipp, Maddison; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son
Manchester United: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Fernandes, Casemiro, Mount; Antony, Rashford, Garnacho
Match facts
- Manchester United are one of just two teams yet to lose a Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (along with Liverpool), winning two and drawing two.
- Since the start of last season, Tottenham have conceded at least twice in 21 of their 39 Premier League matches. Among sides currently in the league, Nottingham Forest (22) are the only side who have done so more in this period.
- James Maddison provided two assists against Brentford on MD1, becoming the first player ever to assist more than one goal on his Premier League debut for Tottenham.
- Richarlison has scored 49 Premier League goals and could become the third Brazilian to reach 50 after Roberto Firmino (82) and Gabriel Jesus (69). However, he has only scored once in 28 league games for Spurs.
- Only against Leicester (8) has Marcus Rashford scored more Premier League goals than he has against Tottenham, with three of his five strikes against Spurs coming away from home.
Odds correct at 1630 BST (18/08/23)
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