Tottenham vs Manchester United Picks and Predictions: Can Spurs Get Any Worse?

A great midweek slot of Premier League action culminates in Tottenham vs. Manchester United on Thursday.

Both teams come into this game on the back of very different weekends. The visitors, Manchester United, reached the FA Cup final, while Spurs found themselves smashed 6-1 by Newcastle.

That defeat sent shockwaves through the Premier League but will Spurs be able to bounce back this week? Don’t miss our Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United free betting picks below to find out. 

Tottenham vs Manchester United best odds

Tottenham vs Manchester United picks and predictions

For Tottenham, this has been a horrific month. They sacked Antonio Conte as manager, saw their managing director Fabio Paratici get banned from the sport, drew with Everton, got beaten by Bournemouth, then conceded five goals in the first 21 minutes of their 6-1 defeat against Newcastle, all before sacking caretaker manager Cristian Stellini. 

Manchester United got knocked out of the Europa League in embarrassing style but reaching the FA Cup final — even after a laboring performance against Brighton — is an achievement, and they have won their last three EPL matches. They may have injuries but they’re a good side and are my bet to win at this juicy +145 price. 

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has said that Ryan Mason will take over managerial duties until the end of the season, and that's part of the reason I'm so confident in backing Man U here. 

It’s clear to anybody that has watched this team play in the past few months that they needed a change. They need fresh blood and a manager that will reinvigorate them: Ryan Mason is not that man.

Mason was part of the coaching staff under Conte and second to Stellini during his spell as manager. There isn’t anything new enough about this change to impact the Spurs players and remotivate them. 

I think we'll see an improvement from Spurs but it’s not going to be enough here, especially considering the toxic atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Sure, United have injuries but it was wild to see them as underdogs against Brighton in the FA Cup semifinal.

This is a team that people thought could enter the title race around six weeks ago. This team is — for the most part — confident in their ability, thanks to a mentality shift that came as a result of Erik ten Hag. They’ve already won one trophy this season, albeit the League Cup. 

Luke Shaw’s been great as an emergency central defender and there should be enough talent here to win the midfield battle and attack a Spurs defense that looks very poor.

The +145 odds here are pretty long when you consider just how bad Spurs were last weekend. Managerial change aside, I'm not expecting much difference on Thursday. 

My best bet: Manchester United to win (+145 at DraftKings)

Tottenham vs Manchester United side analysis

It’s hard to tell exactly how Ryan Mason will set up his Spurs team here but he surely won’t try to play four at the back like Stellini did. This squad simply doesn’t have the personnel, they’re not built for it, and Newcastle tore them apart when they tried it.

I’m expecting to see Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, and Clement Lenglet in a back three, with Ben Davies and Pedro Porro as wingbacks. Porro, in particular, was woeful against Newcastle but he’s a wingback, not a fullback, and was set up to fail in the 4-3-3.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp will be in the midfield and we should see Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, and either Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, or Arnaut Danjuma in the other forward position.

We’ll see United in a 4-2-3-1 and we’ll probably see a very similar team to the one we saw at Wembley in the FA Cup semi at the weekend. Shaw will be alongside Victor Lindelof at the heart of the backline with Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka next to them.

Christian Eriksen and Casemiro will be in midfield. Marcus Rashford and Antony will be outside and charged with supporting Wout Weghorst, who needs to start given how bad Anthony Martial was at the weekend. Bruno Fernandes will be behind the big Dutchman and creating chances for him, Antony, and Rashford.

The odds of +145 are pretty generous for a United win and it’s something I’ll be backing before kick-off on Thursday.

Tottenham vs Manchester United Over/Under analysis

The total market has Over 2.5 goals as the most likely option at -140 with the Under clocking in at +125.

If you look at Spurs' recent games, you can see the Over has landed in five of their past six games, both home and away. In their home EPL matches, the Over has hit in 56.3% of games.

However, when you look at Manchester United’s away games this season, it’s been Under that has come in more, with 53.3% of road trips going Under 2.5 goals. The last time these two teams met earlier in the season at Old Trafford, it finished with just two goals.

Given the humiliating defeat that Spurs had at the weekend, it’s easy to expect another high-scoring affair but I feel they’ll be better at the back this week just by playing a back five.

This is a market that might offer some value but it’s one I can’t quite get a handle on and I’d rather avoid betting on myself.

Tottenham vs Manchester United game info

Tottenham vs Manchester United key injuries

Tottenham: Yves Bissouma CM (Out), Rodrigo Bentancur CM (Out), Emerson Royal FB (Out), Clement Lenglet CB (Questionable), Ryan Sessegnon LB (Questionable), Hugo Lloris GK (Questionable).
Manchester United: Raphael Varane CB (Out), Lisandro Martinez CB (Out), Donny van de Beek CM (Out), Alejandro Garnacho FWR (Out), Scott McTominay CM (Out).

Tottenham vs Manchester United recent form

Teams	Last five matches
Tottenham	W-L-W-W-L
Manchester United	W-W-D-W-L

Tottenham vs Manchester United weather

Temperatures will be around 50 degrees with rain around the time of kick-off.

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