Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur Prediction: Crunch Clash Between Top-four Rivals

• Manchester United will be looking to boost their top-four chances on Sunday

• Tottenham Hotspur are seeking a second league win on the bounce this weekend

• These two teams still have their flaws as they chase Champions League soccer

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur Odds

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Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur Pick

Back a draw when Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend. We think the score will finish level in this one.

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Manchester United Need to Become More Efficient in Final Third

The early signs from this season are that Manchester United have taken some tentative steps in the right direction. In truth, it would have been difficult for Erik ten Hag’s team to get any worse from the second half of last season, when they were often dismal on their way to an eighth-place finish - their lowest position in Premier League history.

A 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool exposed many of United’s familiar failings, but in their other games they have looked more secure without the ball. That was the case for much of last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, a game which the Red Devils dominated for the first hour.

United’s shortcoming on that occasion was a failure to take their chances. From both open play and set plays, they created several presentable openings against Palace but failed to take any of them. That was disappointing for Ten Hag’s team, who then had to withstand pressure from their opponents in the final 30 minutes. 

The United boss will focus on the positives for now. Only Manchester City have a higher cumulative expected goals rate up to now, which essentially means United rank second in the division for the quality of chances created. Yet there is still work to do defensively, even if the center-back partnership of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez looks promising.

United need to start making Old Trafford a fortress again. That Liverpool defeat was painful because it was against the club’s main rivals, but they also need to be harder to beat in that type of match on home turf. There is no better place to start than Sunday’s showdown against Tottenham Hotspur.

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Tottenham Hotspur Aiming to Build Momentum After Tough Start

In their most recent Premier League outing, Tottenham Hotspur conceded to Brentford within seconds of kick-off. Had the Bees been in the lead for a while, the natives in north London would have grown restless given Spurs’ shaky start to the season. Thankfully, though, Dominic Solanke leveled things up pretty quickly and Tottenham went on to win 3-1.

It was a fully deserved victory and a very important one too. Spurs had triumphed in only one of their first four fixtures and they were unconvincing in a 2-1 defeat of Coventry City in the EFL Cup a few days earlier. For the first time in his tenure, there were a few rumblings of discontent about Ange Postecoglou’s leadership.

Tottenham only missed out on the top four by two points last term. The aim this season is to secure a place in next year’s Champions League, but an adverse result this weekend would leave Spurs with ground to make up already.

Of course, we are still early enough in the campaign for anything to happen from here. It would be premature to draw any hard and fast conclusions at this stage. The worry for Spurs is that some of their weak points from last season have not been resolved. Chief among those is the struggle at times to turn ball possession into clear-cut opportunities.

Postecoglou is the best fit for Tottenham since Mauricio Pochettino, who was sacked in 2019. The Australian likes to play the sort of attacking, front-footed soccer that Spurs supporters want to see. But even these fans believe a little pragmatism is necessary when it comes to things like defending set-pieces. That is something Postecoglou has struggled with up to now.

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Honors Even Is Our Tip When These Two Teams Meet

With Manchester City and Arsenal likely to take two of the four guaranteed Champions League spots in England’s top flight, the battle for the remaining two berths looks set to be fierce. Head-to-head contests between top-four contenders like this one therefore take on even greater importance.

It is difficult to predict who will come out on top here. The two teams are pretty evenly matched, so a draw could be the way to go. That is what happened when Tottenham last traveled to Old Trafford: the result on that occasion in January 2024 was 2-2.

It is easy to imagine a game in which Spurs have plenty of the ball and show some neat approach play, but Manchester United have more cutting edge. Postecoglou’s team could also be vulnerable with their high defensive line up against a United offense which contains plenty of pace.

Attacks are likely to get the better of defenses in this one, which is good news for neutrals who will be tuning in on Sunday. From a betting perspective, though, the best choice is a draw. We expect both United and Tottenham to pick up a point at Old Trafford when they go head-to-head in gameweek six of the Premier League season.

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How to Watch Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

• Teams: Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur

• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

• Date and Time: Sunday, 29 September 2024, 11.30 AM ET 

• How to Watch: USA Network