Manchester United play Tottenham under the lights at Old Trafford this evening where the Red Devils will be targeting their fourth-straight victory over the Londoners. A victory for Spurs in Manchester would open up a sizable ten-point gap between the clubs, however, which could prove crucial in this season’s race for a top four finish.
We’ve assembled a collection of useful info on cards, corners, xG, shots, fouls and more for this evening’s showpiece showdown and our stats pack should help you to make some savvier bet builder selections for the game later on. Use my Stats Pack Guide to guide you around the markets too.
Predicted Lineups
Donny van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire are still on the road to recovery for Man Utd, while Anthony Martial is nursing a back injury and is unlikely to feature.
Christian Eriksen remains doubtful through illness, though the Danish international will be desperate to face his former club this evening.
Emerson Royal serves the final game of his three-match suspension today, while Japhet Tanganga has been ruled out through injury.
With Richarlison absent and Dejan Kulusevki a major doubt, Antonio Conte could choose to sacrifice a forward for another central midfielder at Old Trafford.
Team Stats
Manchester United were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Newcastle on Sunday and their performance against the Magpies again highlighted the Red Devil’s lack of cutting edge.
Despite sitting in fifth spot, United are the only club in the Premier League’s top nine with a negative goal difference and they’ve been conceding more shots (14.56 p/90) than they’ve been hitting at the other end (12.56 p/90) since August.
Like their hosts this evening, Tottenham’s shots figure per 90 minutes this favours their opponents, though Spurs’ xG numbers (1.72 to 1.66 p/90) have a brighter look following the strong showing against Everton last time out (2-0, 2.49 xG).
Like United again, Tottenham’s matches have featured plenty of cards and no team has drawn more cautions this season than Antonio Conte’s side (26).
Player Shots and Shots on Target
Brazilian winger Antony (3.87 shots p/90) has shown promise in the early throes of his United career and the 22-year-old racked up four more attempts against Newcastle on Sunday.
With both Cristiano Ronaldo and Christian Eriksen unlikely to start, Bruno Fernandes (1.67 shots p/90) and Marcus Rashford (2.36 shots per/90) are perhaps your best bets in the shot markets.
However, it’s might be safer to avoid them in the shots-on-target stakes with both players a bigger danger to spectators in the crowd than opposing keepers with their erratic finishing in the Premier League at present.
Heung-min Son (1.66 SOT p/90) and Harry Kane (1.63 SOT p/90) continue to shoulder the majority of the responsibility at Tottenham in the shooting department and that lethal duo racked up a huge 11 attempts between them against Everton on Saturday (Kane seven, Son four).
Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg got two shots away against the Toffees and he’s been hitting 1.02 strikes per 90 overall this term. Matt Doherty, who should start again this evening, had two attempts against Everton from his position at right wing-back last time out.
Player Goals and Assists
Marcus Rashford remains United’s leading scorer in the league with three goals, though two of those efforts were bagged in a single game against Arsenal and the 24-year-old has failed to register in six of his nine Premier League appearances overall this term.
Antony failed to score in a Premier League match for the first time against Newcastle on Sunday, while the drop off in Bruno Fernandes’ output in the final third has been alarming.
Harry Kane netted for the ninth time this season against Everton last weekend and his strike from the spot was the sixth time the Tottenham talisman has scored the first goal in a game since the summer.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg added a second for Spurs against Everton and put himself level as the club’s second-highest scorer alongside Son in the process.
Dejan Kulusevski, Ivan Perisic, Heung-min Son, Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur have all lodged two or more assists in the Premier League this season.
Manchester United Cards
Scott McTominay (3.28 fouls p/90) has a clean slate again having just returned from a ban for an accumulation of bookings and the hard-hitting Scottish midfielder will be determined to make his presence felt this evening.
Diogo Dalot has been carded four times this term and the erratic Portuguese defender tends to get panicky against strong opponents. He was cautioned against both Man City and Liverpool earlier in the season.
On the opposite side, Luke Shaw is routinely a strong candidate to enter the referee’s notebook. The 27-year-old has been booked just once in four league starts this season, though he collected 16 yellow cards in his last two Premier League campaigns combined. Shaw was also booked when he last faced Spurs a year ago.
Facing Heung-min Son (fouled 1.79 times per) could be the stuff of nightmares for Diogo Dalot this evening. Son has the pace to leave Dalot in his wake, so watch out for cynical shirt tugs down the Spurs left.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (fouled 1.33 p/90) will need to win a physical battle with Scott McTominay to dominate central areas for Spurs, while rampaging wing-back Matt Doherty (1.30 p/90) could be on the end of a loose tackle or two from Luke Shaw down his flank.
Match-Ups to watch
Diogo Dalot vs Heung-min Son
Scott McTominay vs Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Luke Shaw vs Matt Doherty
Tottenham Hotspur Cards
Antonio Conte likes his midfielders to be combative and aggressive, and in Rodrigo Bentancur (three cards) and Yves Bissouma (three cards), the Italian coach has two soldiers built for battle. Both players look like prime card candidates this evening.
Experienced Croatian Ivan Perisic (1.61 fouls p/90) will have to defend against the tricky Antony at Old Trafford and he could struggle to match the Brazilian’s pace.
22-year-old Antony has enough finesse to beat Ivan Perisic – who is 11 years his senior – in one-on-one stations at Old Trafford, though the Croatian could use his great physicality to halt the Brazilian’s progress.
Bruno Fernandes (fouled 1.67 times per 90) is certain to get a kick or two from Bissouma in the middle and final thirds this evening, while United anchorman Casemiro could face similar treatment in his South American tussle with Uruguay’s Rodrigo Bentancur.
Match-Ups to watch
Ivan Perisic vs Antony
Yves Bissouma vs Bruno Fernandes
Rodrigo Bentancur vs Casemiro
