Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United 19/08/2023 – Lift off for the Ange Postecoglou era
Tottenham Hotspur will play host to Manchester United on Saturday evening and we’re predicting a first win of the Ange Postecoglou era.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Premier League, Saturday, August 19, Kick-off 5:30pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event
Predicted score
- Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Manchester United
Premier League betting tips
- Bet: Tottenham Hotspur to win
- Bet: First half: Over 1.5 goals
- Bet: Over 3.5 goals
*Prices subject to fluctuation.
Team news
Tottenham will be without a number of players for the visit of Manchester United. Ryan Sessegnon (thigh), Bryan Gil (groin), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Fraser Forster (back), Christian Romero (head) and Alfie Whiteman (ankle) are unavailable.
New signing Micky van de Ven is expected to feature in the heart of Spurs’ defence alongside Davison Sanchez. Oliver Skipp, Yves Bissouma and James Maddison should continue in midfield.
United aren’t exactly injury-free either. Lisandro Martinez (ankle), Rasmus Hojlund (back), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Amad Diallo (knee), Kobbie Mainoo (ankle) and Thomas Heaton (calf) will miss out.
Marcus Rashford is expected to lead the line with the England international flanked by Alejandro Garnacho and Antony, although a flat performance could mean a start for Jadon Sancho.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United 19/08/2023 – betting preview
If last week’s 2-2 draw with Brentford is anything to go by, the new Ange Postecoglou era at Tottenham is going to make for a wild watch.
Spurs dominated possession and unleashed James Maddison into dangerous areas on a number of occasions, leading to two assists. Despite this, they were frequently dispossessed and left gaps at the back.
United’s 1-0 win over Wolves was hugely underwhelming. The visitors were denied a late penalty to even proceedings and should have led long before that.
It was a somewhat lethargic start from Erik ten Hag’s side and the half-time break did nothing to fix that.
The expected goals against Spurs on opening day was 2.22, while the value against Man Utd was 2.35 and would have ballooned to 3+ had the penalty been awarded.
Tottenham were willing to take risks all over the pitch in possession and push bodies forward at every opportunity. That came at a price, but it’s part of the trade-off for attacking football.
Conversely, Wolves were happy to set traps and frustrate the hosts at Old Trafford, who will be afforded far more opportunity to break at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Five of the last six meetings between these sides have had three or more goals, including a 6-1 win for Spurs, a 3-2 win for United and a 2-2 draw here last season.
Naturally, you’d expect the focus to be on better organisation and defensive quality given their previous performance, but these teams in their current state should make for an end-to-end game.
We’re betting on their being at least four goals in a wide-open game and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see either team win, but we’re leaning towards the host given their enticing price.
