Tottenham vs Manchester United Betting Tips (19/08/23)

The Build-Up

Tottenham Hotspur began their post-Harry Kane era in the Premier League with a 2-2 draw away to Brentford; which was the same result they managed last season under Antonio Conte but with Ange Postecoglu’s style of football showing signs of coming to fruition very early on, it did feel very different.

An eighth-placed finish last season, a new manager coming in with completely new and fresh ideas as well as losing your captain and then losing arguably your greatest player ever may lead many to believe Spurs can only decline this season. However, some genuinely smart recruitment combined with the style that Postecoglu is seeking to implement suggests it could well be a fun, albeit potentially ineffective, campaign for the home team.

Their first home game of the season comes against a Manchester United side that, if they are aiming for year-on-year progression, will surely be aiming to be involved in, at least a lot closer to, a genuine title race this time around. The Red Devils were worryingly poor on the opening day of the season, though, as they edged past a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who reportedly have a fair few off-field, financial issues to contend with. It does make their odds of 11/8 with Betfred to win this one feel a little short. The odds of a draw at 13/5 with the same bookie are a lot more tempting.

Wolves were the better side on the eye and using the underlying data and PGMOL have since said that they were wrongly denied a penalty deep into second-half stoppage-time. United’s 1-0 win lacked any intensity and fluidity up-front and yet also managed to lack control in midfield, too, with a major reliance on some impressive saves from Andre Onana, good defensive performances from match-winner Raphael Varane as well as Aaron Wan-Bissaka but, mainly, some dire finishing from their opposition.

Betting Trends to Watch

A niche but potentially interesting market to watch and keep an eye on would be the ‘tackles’ market. Last season, Casemiro made the third most tackles per game on average in the Premier League with 3.2 per game. On Tottenham’s side, they have Dejan Kulusevski, who was twelfth on the list for being most dispossessed. Given that the Swede looks set to be given a freer role in Spurs’ attack, this could well lead to either a good bet for Casemiro tackles or even a Casemiro yellow card if the Brazilian is as off-the-pace as he was in their 1-0 victory over Wolves last week.

Marcus Rashford has 5 goals in 13 games against Tottenham in the Premier League and, whilst that may not be an overly impressive record, the England international is coming into this campaign on the back of his best scoring season, having notched against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April and is bound to break this season’s duck sooner rather than later. The anytime scorer bet looks the safe pick here but if you’re feeling brave then the first scorer market is offering attractive value at 11/2 with Boylesports for Rashford to score first.

The Form

Tottenham Hotspur began the season with a 2-2 draw at Brentford meaning, including their pre-season friendlies, both teams have scored in their last eight matches and in all but one of their last 17 games, in a run that stretches back to mid-March. Manchester United’s 1-0 win at home to Wolves means that have now enjoyed five successive Premier League victories after back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Brighton and West Ham at the start of May.

Head-to-Head Meetings

These two sides have faced off 197 times, with the first meeting between the two sides being played out in January 1899. Manchester United have won 96 of those 197 matches with Tottenham winning 53 games. In recent times, The Red Devils have been dominant with no defeats in their last five matches and Spurs managing just one win in their last nine games. United are unbeaten in the four games that they have played at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It’s interesting to see that not only have United gone unbeaten in the previous 5 encounters but they have scored at least 2 goals in each of those games. Bookmaker William Hill is offering 17/20 on the away side scoring over 1.5 goals here. Over 3.5 goals have been scored in 4 of the last 6 meetings and you can find that outcome priced at 13/10 with William Hill.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United Betting Tips

The gaps that were through the heart of the Manchester United midfield last weekend mean that Tottenham, as mentioned with Kulusevski, will drive at the visitors’ back-line with, likely, relative ease making their price to win of 15/8 with Bet365 very appealing. Spurs may not be capable of being overly steady at the back and, as mentioned, tend to concede even when they do score, so it should be quite an entertaining encounter.

In terms of individual betting tips, as well as a BTTS suggestion, Casemiro to be booked for the reasons outlined above and Marcus Rashford getting his first goal of the season, stretching a Spurs defence that is likely to have a tendency to be open this season, look like good value.

All odds are accurate at the time of writing.