Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur 04/10/20

4 October 2020

Fresh from humiliating Maccabi Haifa 7-2 in the UEFA Europa League play-offs, Tottenham Hotspur return to the Premier League action, as they travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.

Despite suffering a dismal 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener, the hosts must be full of confidence after overcoming Brighton 3-2 in a five-goal thriller last time out. Curiously, both of United’s opening league matches have featured over 2.5 second-half goals, with precisely two goals apiece coming on or beyond the 80-minute mark. The ‘clean-sheet’ theme remains significant in the context of Manchester United’s home fortunes this calendar year, as five of their seven Premier League home results (wins/losses) have seen the winner on the day shut out the loser. The ‘Red Devils’ have been regular on the scoresheet lately, finding the net in seven consecutive home league outings and scoring over 1.5 goals on five of those occasions.

Accruing a win, a draw, and a loss from their opening three Premier League fixtures, the visitors continue to struggle for consistency in 2020. Indeed, ‘Spurs’ have barely won 40% of their league matches since the turn of the year (W8, D6, L6), with 64.29% of their results during that period yielding a single-goal margin (9/14). Things have been particularly awkward for Tottenham on the road, as they’ve only picked up three wins from ten top-flight trips this calendar year (W3, D4, L3). A lack of goals is probably accountable for Jose Mourinho’s side struggling, considering his men have notched under 1.5 goals in seven of those ten away matches. A trip to Old Trafford could stir more painful memories, as the Londoners failed to get on the scoresheet in four of their previous six Premier League visits (W1, L5).