Manchester United will entertain Tottenham at Old Trafford on Monday with the Red Devils looking to rebound from a shock loss to Brighton last week. Mourinho’s men are slight +140 favorites on the three-way moneyline with Spurs countering at +200 and the draw balancing the action at +230.
Most of the storylines heading into the contest are not football-related, with Tottenham’s captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris being charged with drunk driving after a rendezvous with his French teammates Thursday evening.
This will be an important storyline to monitor, though, as Tottenham’s backup keeper situation isn’t exactly ideal.
- The home team has won 8 straight fixtures in this matchup in all competitions.
- Hugo Lloris is expected to play despite being charged with drunk driving on Friday.
- Harry Kane scored his first-ever Premier League goal in the month of August last week.
Winning at Old Trafford has Become Old Hat
Getting back to the football, the biggest betting story in this matchup is the success the home team has had the last few years. United has beaten Tottenham in five consecutive matches at Old Trafford, outscoring Spurs 8-1 in those fixtures.
The Red Devils have also lost just two of their last 37 Premier League matches at Old Trafford and they can’t afford to drop points at home this week after losing 3-2 to a Brighton side that most figure will be fighting against relegation this season.
For United to continue their success vs Tottenham, they’ll have to clog up the middle of the pitch while also not allowing Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies to pick them apart from the wing. That’s much easier said than done but Spurs are at their most dangerous when their fullbacks are given space as Harry Kane can finish any cross that finds him in the penalty area.
Lloris Driving Spurs Fans to Drink
Not to make light of his serious charges but it’s hardly been smooth sailing for Tottenham or their fans since the club moved out of White Hart Lane and the latest actions of their captain sort of epitomizes their non-football woes.
That said, Lloris is still expected to be in the lineup for Monday’s match with three important points on the table and neither Michel Vorm nor Paulo Gazzaniga looking like suitable replacements.
This incident will likely motivate the club to begin the search for a new netminder, though, as Lloris has lost a step the last few seasons and he makes critical errors far too often to be a first-choice goalkeeper for a club pressing for a domestic title.
Harry Kane Scores When He Wants (and Now in August too)
Until last week’s comprehensive battering of Fulham in which Harry Kane found the back of the net in the 77th minute, the England No. 9 had never scored a Premier League goal in the month of August. Now that the curse has been lifted, are we set to see Kane go on a goal-scoring streak like never before seen in the EPL?
As a Tottenham fan, I’d like to say yes and his +115 price at Sportsbook to beat David De Gea on Monday seems a good bit of value.
Match Prediction
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are both clubs with significant issues right now but so far, the North Londoners haven’t allowed those problems to affect their play on the pitch.
For that reason – and many others I’m not at liberty to disclose here – I like Tottenham as the +200 underdog in this fixture and to break the run of home success that this matchup has been privy to.
If Nemanja Matic is still not fit to feature in this one, Christian Eriksen could have his way in the middle of the park and if he gets too much room to spray the ball around, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly could have a bad time.
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