Focus Fixture: Back both teams to score at Old Trafford

Manchester United and Tottenham go head-to-head at Old Trafford on Sunday with the teams level on seven points in the Premier League.

The Form

Erik Ten Hag’s side endured a disastrous 2023/24 campaign which saw them slump to an eighth-placed finish, their worst ever in the history of the Premier League. An FA Cup final win over Manchester City was enough for the Dutchman to keep his job but results need to improve in the current campaign.

Manchester United’s performances have been better than last season. They look more efficient when pressing and the days of conceding 20+ shots a game appear to be behind them. However, finishing their chances has proven to be a problem for the Red Devils. United are credited with squandering the most big opportunities in the Premier League so they have just seven points from their opening five matches. 

Tottenham missed out on Champion League qualification last season as they finished fifth behind Aston Villa. Ange Postecoglou made a blistering start as boss and the team were top of the league at this stage of last season. Spurs then went on to win just two of the final seven league matches in the last campaign.

Ange’s team have been unable to make a fast start this time around. They have picked up two wins from their five Premier League matches thus far. Tottenham came from behind to beat Brentford 3-1 last weekend and will be hoping that is the start of a good run of league form. 

The Runners and the Riders

Manchester United were hit by a deep injury crisis last season, particularly in defence. They have a few absentees at the back once again but are better equipped to deal with them. Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are all injured here. Mason Mount came off the bench and featured in their 1-1 draw with FC Twente so will be available. 

Tottenham played with 10 men for a large period against Qarabag. Heung-min Son was brought off in that game but he should feature on Sunday. Richarlison and Wilson Odobert appear to be the only other absentees for Spurs as they make the trip to Old Trafford. 

What They Said

Erik Ten Hag was critical of his team and called them complacent following the 1-1 draw with FC Twente in the Europa League. The United boss said, “We are very ambitious and when you have ambition you have to perform, to prove the point and especially today second half I think we were too easy-going, too complacent. We didn't bring it over the line and as a team, you have to deliver this.”

Ange Postecoglou didn’t seem too concerned about Heung-Min Son’s fitness after he was forced off against Qarabag. The Australian said, “He (Son) said he felt a bit tired”. The Tottenham boss went on to praise his side's intent despite playing with 10 men. He said, “When you go down to 10 men invariably at times you can’t be as aggressive or keep the ball as much or play as fluently but for the most part the intent was there.”

Selection

Manchester United’s tackle numbers have been solid in the early stages of this campaign. Erik Ten Hag has called upon his players to press high up the pitch and the defensive players are often asked to step up and win the ball off an opponent on the half turn. United face a Tottenham side that are forcing the fourth most fouls in the Premier League this season with an average of 23.2 per game. 

The Red Devils made 22 and 21 tackles in their meetings with Tottenham last season and Noussair Mazraoui is the player we have singled out to make a few here. Diego Dalot started as United’s right-back in this fixture last season and made six tackles. 

Mazraoui also boasts high tackle numbers. He is averaging 3.2 tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. In the past 12 months, Noussair ranks in the top 10% for tackles made per 90 minutes played when compared with all other full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues. 

Recommended Bet: Over 1.5 tackles for Noussair Mazraoui at 1.70

Bet Builder Tip

Noussair Mazraoui also features as part of our bet builder but this time we are backing him to make at least two fouls. With the right-back set to make a lot of tackles, it seems likely he will mistime some of those and five away fouls. He has committed an average of 1.1 fouls per 90 minutes in the Premier League so far. 

Tottenham were the most fouled team in the league last season with their opponents making an average of 13.95 per game so they should be well equipped to force fouls from Mazraoui here. 

We are also backing both teams to score over 3.5 goals. These sides drew 2-2 in this fixture last season. The last 10 head-to-heads between these studies have seen an average of 3.6 goals with Manchester United scoring 1.9 goals and conceding 1.7 on average. 

Recommended Bet: Over 1.5 fouls for Noussair Mazraoui, both teams to score and over 3.5 goals at 5.00