Tottenham and Manchester United restart their 2020 Premier League season against each other on Friday, June 19, 2020, at the Hotspur Stadium. The game will air live via NBCSN at 3:15 EST.
With the English top-flight back in action, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer face off as their teams compete for a Champions League spot. The Hotspur sit on 8th place in the league standings but they can move within one point of Manchester United with a win on Friday in North London.
It hasn’t been what both teams expected at the start of the year but with a three-month break, both have the chance to pick things up and finish strong. With the race for the Top 4 heating up, neither can afford a loss on Friday.
The Tottenham Hotspurs head to this match sitting in 8th place with 11 wins, 8 draws, and 10 losses for a total of 41 points earned. The Spurs are just four points behind Manchester United in the team standings and they are just seven points short of Chelsea for the final Champions League spot.
In their last game, the Spurs figured in a 1-1 draw against Burnley right before the coronavirus pandemic halted the season in March. Tottenham fell behind early in that match before Dele Alli scored the equalizer five minutes after the first half. Burnley had more shots on goal at 8-2 but they couldn’t score the game-winner and the teams went home with a draw.
Harry Kane leads the Spurs with a total of 11 goals this term. Son-Heung Min has found the back of the net nine times while Dele Alli has eight scores this year. Son Heung-Min also leads the team with seven assists while Serge Aurier and Alli have four assists each for Tottenham.
Tottenham’s 47 goals scored has put them in 5th place in the scoring department. The Spurs are just 10th overall in defense with a total of 40 goals conceded this term. They also rank 5th in passing with a total of 30 assists this season. They also have the 6th best goal difference at +7.
Manchester United is currently in 5th place in the Premier League with 45 points from 12 wins, 9 draws, and 8 losses. They are currently holding the final Europa League spot but they are just two points ahead of the Wolves and Sheffield United. They are also in the running for the Champions League with Chelsea only three points up on them.
The Red Devils head to this match after winning the Manchester Derby in their last assignment before the break. Manchester United defeated Manchester City 2-0 in that contest with Anthony Martial and Scott Tominay finding the back of the net. They also recorded a 5-0 win over LASK in the Europa League round of 16.
Marcus Rashford leads Manchester United with a total of 14 goals this season while Anthony Martial is also in double-digit scoring with 11 goals. Mason Greenwood has contributed five assists while Daniel James leads the team with six assists while also scoring three goals. Andreas Perreira has three assists and a score for the Red Devils this season.
The Red Devils rank 6th in scoring with a total of 44 goals scored this season. They are the 4th best defensive team in England with only 30 goals conceded. Manchester United rank 6th in passing with a total of 28 assists this season while they also have a goal difference of +14.
While Mourinho was short of options before the season was shut down, the Portuguese bench tactician now has a squad that is near 100% now that Harry Kane and Heung-min Soon back in tow. Troy Parrott is still not fit after returning from an injury while Dele Alli is suspended but despite those, Mourinho still has plenty of options.
Meanwhile, Solskjaer now has Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba at his disposal. These two key players were on the injured list before the season was suspended. All eyes will be on Pogba if he is paired with Bruno Fernandez as the Manchester United boss looks to create harmony between the two.
United hasn’t been that good playing away this season but because of the government restrictions on social gatherings, fans are not allowed here as they are banned in other sports leagues right now, thus negating Tottenham’s advantage of playing at their building.
Please Note
Both teams are healthier now than they were before the break so there’s a good chance that we’ll see better quality from both sides here. But these teams have not played in three months and I expect some sloppy play despite these being elite teams.
Manchester United leads their all-time series with 92 wins while the Spurs have 52 wins. These teams have played to a draw in 48 other head to head meetings. The Red Devils also won 2-1 at Old Trafford last December and 1-0 in North London earlier in the season.
I think that both teams will take a cautious approach here and take their opportunities as they come. However, I don’t see one team dominating the other in this match-up, especially since they are both coming off a long break. Both teams should score goals here and I won’t be surprised if they played to a hard-earned draw.
Prediction: Draw, but if you force me to pick, I will side with Manchester United.
These two teams are getting back key players who were injured before the shutdown of the season. Tottenham has conceded more goals in 29 games this season than they did in 38 games last term and they only have four clean slates this season. Meanwhile, Manchester United is the 6th best scoring team in the league this season and has scored two or more goals in five out of their last seven assignments. With both teams coming off a long layoff, I expect both defenses to allow the other side to score at least one goal.
Prediction: Both teams to score – YES (-143)
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