Ahead of the start of this season, both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur had ambitions to push higher than fourth position in the Premier League standings, but the reality now is that they will both be fortunate to secure Champions League qualification for 2022-23. As it stands, United are in fifth spot having played more games than many of their rivals, while Spurs are seventh, just two points adrift of United with two fixtures in hand. It is a scenario which has inevitably upped the stakes ahead of the showdown between the two clubs at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, and the loser will be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to trying to catch fourth-placed Arsenal. In what has traditionally been an unpredictable encounter in recent years, which bets should appeal to punters?
Just like fans will do when it comes to assessing their free bets options, Harry Kane will be excited about the prospect of going toe-to-toe with a United defence which rarely looks like keeping a clean sheet. Their only shutouts in nine matches have been against a Brighton & Hove Albion outfit who played with 10 men for 35 minutes and a relegation-threatened Watford side. With that in mind, it feels impossible to ignore that as big as 7/4 could be on offer for Kane to score during the 90 minutes at the Theatre Of Dreams. The England international endured a slow start to the campaign but he has now netted 18 times, including five in as many appearances since February 19. It should be noted that Kane has failed to score in five of his last 10 games, but that should not stop punters from backing another goal for the 28-year-old.
In fact, punters would be justified in taking the 11/1 which may be on offer for Kane to score two goals or more. The Spurs frontman has netted three doubles in eight outings, benefitting from his teammates finding greater confidence in wide areas. The likes of Matt Doherty and Dejan Kulusevski have proven invaluable over recent weeks, and it is no coincidence that the North Londoners look much more of a threat with the pair firing on all cylinders.
© Reuters
Given the inconsistencies of both teams, you can get above Evens for either side to prevail at Old Trafford, with the draw being deemed a likely scoreline. With at least one of Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani potentially coming back into contention, there is value in taking United at 11/10 or as low as Evens, but the 5/2 for Spurs will appeal far more. Perhaps more importantly for United, Raphael Varane may be in a position where he can return from coronavirus, possibly taking the spot of Harry Maguire, but both men may struggle to cope with the frontline of their opponents, the movement of the support act freeing up space for Kane.
That is why taking the 5/1 for Spurs to win and both teams to score should feel like attractive betting odds. Despite United only scoring more than twice in a game on one occasion since January 22, they will surely create opportunities against a Spurs outfit who were made to look like world-beaters by a hapless Everton side on Monday night. Ralf Rangnick will not risk playing without a natural vocal point, like he did against Manchester City, and even if United are without Ronaldo or Cavani for whatever reason, this may be the fixture where Marcus Rashford rediscovers some form amid the negative headlines of the past few days.
There ought to be a frantic feeling to this contest given the famous hostilities between the clubs, an argument supported by the fact there have been 14 goals in the last three games. We have spoken enough about strikes for one article, and you should certainly not ignore the likelihood of several cards being dished out. That particularly rings true when Cristian Romero features in the Spurs defence, the Argentine already collecting seven yellows in 13 Premier League appearances. At 7/4, he is an absolute must for any punter this weekend, and compatriot Rodrigo Bentancur is certainly a live outsider at 4/1 when he will be up against a midfield two of Scott McTominay and Fred. The engine room should get feisty, and you would be justified in selecting bookings for all four players.
