TOTTENHAM take on Man Utd in Super Sunday's Premier League showdown. Tom Love (@TomLove_18) shares his betting thoughts.
Tottenham vs Manchester United | Sunday 11th April 2021, 16:30 | Sky Sports
It’s easy to forget that Manchester United are still yet to lose in the league away from home. It’s some record and testament to their preparation under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this term being able to juggle various cup competitions and Europe to great success. They shouldn’t fear a Tottenham side that have ranked as a bang average operator for a number of months now.
Spurs conceded a woeful 4 expected goals against shot-shy Newcastle last week but got out of jail because of that man Harry Kane. Jose Mourinho has received deserved criticism for not getting more out of a team Mauricio Pochettino got into a Champions League final and top 4.
An embarrassing exit in the Europa League to Dinamo Zagreb shows how much faith the players have in the manager. It just seems there’s a disconnect there.
With Spurs ranking as a bottom half side on xG ratio through the last 12 games, should they be bigger than the 2/1 on offer? Possibly, especially when you factor in the visitors’ form on the road. The draw is always a runner in United matches though and it’s in Mourinho’s thinking to go straight back to basics after an awful performance like last week.
Interestingly 7 of United’s last 8 away games have seen under 2.5 goals, with all 8 seeing under 3.5 goals. Compare that to the opening 7 games on the road for the Red Devils where they all went over 3.5. It’s shown possibly that they’re more cautious in their approach and willing to save energy, ultimately though the results have not dropped off.
I therefore like the look of combining United to win or draw in a match featuring fewer than 4 goals which is a shade under evens with MarathonBet.
I’ll also have a punt on the 9/2 about Harry Maguire to have a headed shot on target with SkyBet. The England man is averaging over a shot per game and 85% of those have been with his head. Spurs struggled from crosses last week and with them likely to sit deep you’d expect the away side to rack up a few corners. It’s a bet that’s landed in 6 of his last 19 games so I expected this to be about a point shorter.
Best Bets
Tottenham vs Manchester United – Manchester United Double Chance and Under 3.5 Goals (93/100 Marathon)
Tottenham vs Manchester United – Harry Maguire 1+ headed shots on target (9/2 SkyBet)