Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction & Betting Tips

Old Trafford is the venue for a clash between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in what could be a crucial game in the race for European places. The two sides sit three places apart, with Spurs eight points ahead of their hosts.

Both Teams to Score @ 4/9 on William Hill

Correct Score 1-1 @ 7/1 on Bet365

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Date: 14/01/23

Kick-off time: 16:30

Venue: Old Trafford

This Big Six clash is the game of the weekend as Tottenham travel up north to take on a Manchester United side looking to find some sort of identity. Erik ten Hag’s side have been the definition of inconsistency so far this season, but fans will hope that victory in this fixture could finally kick-start their stuttering campaign.

Tottenham, led by Ange Postecoglou, are exceeding expectations following the departure of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer and are well in the mix for a top-four finish. They have lost just once against the rest of the big six this season, a 4-1 defeat at home to Chelsea in which they had two men sent off.

Spurs sit in fifth position, a place and a point behind their North London rivals Arsenal. They were the league’s last unbeaten side before their defeat to Chelsea in November, which marked the start of a five-game winless streak. It also coincided with the beginning of some terrible injury luck, with James Maddison and Micky van de Ven becoming long-term absentees. Despite the brief drop in form, they still remain just six points off table toppers Liverpool and three behind second-place Aston Villa.

United currently lie in eighth, having won 10 and lost nine games so far. As a result, they are eight points behind their opponents and could even drop a place before they kick off.

The Red Devils have scored just 22 goals in 20 games this season. Only two sides have scored fewer times, Burnley and Sheffield United, who occupy the bottom two places. Their goals conceded tally of 27 means they have a goal difference of -5, the only side in the top half to be in the negatives.

Spurs have enjoyed plenty of success going forward, scoring almost double the amount of their opponents with 42. Only the top three sides have scored more, even with the prolonged absence of Maddison. However, the defence can be exploited, as they have kept only five league clean sheets all season.

The reverse fixture saw Spurs take all three points with a 2-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A Pape Matar Sarr strike and a Lisandro Martinez own goal was the difference between the two sides. United and Spurs have faced each other 200 times, with the former getting the better of their opponents 96 times. Spurs have been victorious on 54 occasions. In the last two meetings, United have failed to win, but will be hoping to replicate their success prior, in which they won five of seven.

Manchester United Team News

Erik ten Hag will be hoping to welcome back Lisandro Martinez, who participated in first-team training after being sidelined with a foot injury since September. There are also a number of other long-term absentees who could be making a return this month, though it is not clear if they will make it back in time to face Tottenham. These players include Harry Maguire, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof.

Rumours have suggested that the likes of Casemiro, Maguire and Mount could return for United's FA Cup Fourth Round fixture against Newport County or Eastleigh.

Rasmus Hojlund is expected to start having returned to the line-up against WIgan, while Anthony Martial's availability remains in doubt having missed recent games through illness, but, there are no fresh injury concerns for United.

Tottenham Hotspur Team News

Spurs will be missing star man Heung-Min Son, who is away competing in the Asia Cup for South Korea.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are at the Africa Cup of Nations. They are still missing long-term absentee James Maddison, who has not made an appearance since injuring his ankle in November.

Micky van de Ven was able to make the bench in last week’s game against Burnley following a hamstring strain, which is a huge boost for Postecoglou. However, it was not all good news as he lost Ben Davies to injury. Christian Romero, Ivan Perisic and Manor Soloman remain out.

Manchester United

In their last five fixtures, Manchester United have lost twice, drawn once and won once (depending on Wigan result). A recent trip to Anfield surprisingly saw them leave with a point and a clean sheet, after they were considered heavy underdogs in this fixture. However, they were unable to build on the momentum gained from this result as they went on to fall 2-0 to West Ham the following weekend.

Once again it seemed as though they were heading for another defeat at Old Trafford against Aston Villa, going 2-0 down, but they were able to complete the comeback as striker Rasmus Hojlund scored his first-ever Premier League goal to secure all three points. Summing up the inconsistencies they have struggled through all season, their last time out in the league saw them lose 2-1 at Nottingham Forest, who are under the new guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo.

On Monday night, the Red Devils managed to progress through to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup where they'll face either Newport County or Eastleigh following a 2-0 victory away at Wigan Athletic thanks to goals by Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.

Tottenham Hotspur

In their last five fixtures, Tottenham have won four and lost one. Whilst their defeat at Brighton was a bad one, going 4-0 down before scoring two late consolation goals, Spurs have been enjoying a nice spell. The loss is sandwiched between four victories, including their latest win against Burnley to advance into the fourth round of the FA Cup. A stunner from Pedro Porro helped them get past their Premier League opponents.

Last time out in the league, they beat Bournemouth 3-1 at home with goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Heung-Min Son and Richarlison, moving them back within touching distance of the Champions League places. Further successes at home to Everton and at Nottingham Forest have put them in good stead coming into this game.

In six games against the big six this season, Spurs have won two, drawn two and lost one. Their two draws came in away fixtures at Arsenal and Manchester City but they will be missing a big chunk of their offence in Son. United have had their struggles at home, losing four of 10 with a goal difference of -3. Whilst they have some clear weaknesses, they showed they can stand firm when they picked up a point at Anfield. We expect this to be a highly contested affair with nothing to split the sides. – Manchester United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

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Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur can be watched on Sky Sports Main Event.

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