The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally upon us – the English Premier League is back in action! For our first betting tip of the restart we’re taking a look at the crunch clash in North London, as Tottenham welcome Manchester United to an empty Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
This is the only fixture of the restart’s opening round that involves two teams in direct competition with each other for the same endgame objective. With the hosts sitting in 8th place and the visitors in 5th, this game is crucial for both sides keeping their top 4 hopes alive.
Spurs thankful for the breakIf there was a team most in need of an enforced 3 month pause, it was Spurs. Jose Mourinho’s side were in horrific form before the break, as they suffered home and away Champions League defeats to RB Leipzig and gained just 1 point from a possible 9 in the rundown to the Premier League shutdown. As well as giving Spurs time to regroup, the break has also allowed Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min to return from fitness. A loss for the Lilywhites would effectively end their hope of playing Champions League football next season.
Will Pogba turn out for United?Man United would’ve perhaps been less welcoming of the enforced break than their hosts, as they were very much a team in form before football ground to a temporary halt. The Reds had notched up an 11 game unbeaten run, scoring 29 and conceding just 2 in the process. The break did give United’s injured players time to recover, most notably Paul Pogba. However, despite starting a number of training games alongside Brundo Fernandes, it looks like we might have to wait a little longer for the return of the superstar Frenchman as rumour has it he’ll start Friday’s fixture on the bench.
When the two sides met back in December, it wasn’t a happy return to Old Trafford for Jose Mourinho, as his side fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat thanks to a brace from Marcus Rashford, who we’d hotly tip to be on the scoresheet again this Friday. Man United won this fixture 1-0 last year, giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a 100% managerial record against Tottenham, that also includes a 2-1 victory in a preseason Friendly in Shanghai. The last time Spurs won this fixture was a 3-0 humbling at Old Trafford against a United side then helmed by none other than current Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.
We’ve taken a look at past meetings, both teams’ form this season and the impact that the break may or may not have had on each team when coming up with our best betting tip for this one. Also, interestingly, we’ve been able to consider Jose Mourinho’s record in this fixture for both sides.
Having analysed all of the above information we’re predicting an away win for United in North London this Friday. Despite the break, the Reds’ decent form looks set to continue.
United to end Spurs’ top 4 hopesWith the home advantage of the impressive new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being nullified by the lack of fans, it feels like a victory on Friday is beyond Jose Mourinho’s side. Despite the return of top scoring duo Kane and Son, this fixture is still a Spurs side in decline against a United side on the rise.
While OGS’s Reds look like they’re just 2 or 3 pieces short of the final product, Mourinho has yet to properly start rebuilding the declining Spurs side he inherited from Mauricio Pochettino in November.
With Kane, Son and Alli in the side, we definitely can’t rule out a Tottenham goal, which is why our betting tip for this match is a Man United win + both teams to score, which you can place with William Hill at odds of 4.6. Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane and Son Heun Ming are all worth backing as anytime scorers.
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