Tottenham vs Manchester Utd prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-08-18 16:30.
Tottenham began life without Harry Kane in entertaining fashion when held to a 2-2 draw by London rivals Brentford at the weekend. New boss Ange Postecoglou urged his side to be “more creative” in the wake of his Premier League (PL) debut, and the Australian will be particularly keen to avoid seeing Spurs fail to win either of their first two games of a new league season – a fate they’ve not suffered since 2015/16!
That looks a significant challenge given that opponents Manchester United have beaten Tottenham 39 times in PL history – more than any other opposition. Spurs have also won just one of the last nine H2Hs (D2, L6), while they’re yet to beat United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (D2, L2). If Postecoglou is to turn that record around, then it looks set to be a high-scoring affair as Spurs’ PL matches last season averaged a league-high 3.5 goals – a trend that continued last weekend against Brentford.
Man Utd will travel to the capital after opening their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Wolves at Old Trafford, but an underwhelming display has left supporters and pundits alike questioning their credentials. Manager Erik ten Hag was pleased his side “found a way to win”, but the Dutchman is bound to be concerned after seeing Wolves fire in 23 shots on their goal – only once in the 22/23 PL season did they face more (a 3-2 loss to Arsenal).
United’s away form from last season will need to be improved if they’re to break into the top-two, as Ten Hag’s men managed a league-lowest one point against fellow top-nine clubs on the road (D1, L7). Tightening up their defence could go a long way to making that happen, as the 33 goals they conceded on their travels represented 76.7% of their season total, 28 of which came against clubs who finished in the top half.
Key battle: New Spurs captain Son Heung-min may have suffered a miserable opening day as he conceded a penalty, but he did net a late equaliser in the most recent H2H. Looking to keep him at bay will be United goalkeeper André Onana, who made six saves on his Red Devils debut; the Cameroonian also kept a clean sheet on his only previous trip to Tottenham.
Hot streak: Man Utd have netted at least twice in each of the last five H2Hs (W4, D1).