Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
English Premier League, KO: 20:15 Apr 27, 2023, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
SPURS are in crisis after their St James' Park shambles and must pick them up for the visit of FA Cup Finalists Manchester United on Thursday night.
There's likely to be a toxic atmosphere in North London with fans set to loudly protest over the actions…or lack of…from out-of-touch, distant chairman Daniel Levy.
The Spurs fans that stayed to the end of their 6-1 thrashing from Newcastle which saw them comically go 5-0 down within 21 minutes certainly made their views known and any lingering hopes caretaker boss Cristian Stellini had of getting the post permanent vanished with the Italian looking utterly out of his depth. He was promptly sacked on Monday and that's quite an achievement for a caretaker manager to be axed.
Antonio Conte's now-infamous blast at the players and the ownership of the club looks absolutely on the money and they are drifting toward the end of the season after just two wins in their last nine games.
Yet somehow they are still in the battle for a Champions League spot and would reduce the gap on United to three points with a win although they have played two games more. Ryan Mason will take charge and he could hardly do a worse job than Stellini.
United are hardly in great shape either after a limp Europa League exit at the hands of mid-table La Liga side Sevilla, but they edged out Brighton on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-final after a penalty shootout.
How the bookies view it
Manchester United are favourites here at 16/11 with 10bet.
Tottenham Hotspur can be backed at 9/5 with bet365 and the draw is 13/5 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
United won 2-0 at Old Trafford when the sides met back in October this season.
In fact, since Spurs' incredible 6-1 win at Old Trafford in October 2020, United have won each of the four games since.
Players to watch
Harry Kane surely couldn't be blamed if he'd enough of winning nothing at Spurs this summer and eventually quit, but for now the England legend is clearly still the Tottenham danger man and is 11/8 to score with UniBet.
Marcus Rashford has gone slightly off the boil after his brilliant scoring streak earlier this season and has netted only one goal in his last six games. He is 7/4 to score any time with UniBet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Usually, you would expect a reaction from a team as big as Sputs who just got battered, but it's highly doubtful this group of players have it in them to do that.
They are a team lacking leadership on and off the pitch and it's a huge ask for Mason to change that immediately.
Mind you, United are far from firing on all cylinders too and can't be trusted away from home and may have to settle for a draw here that would probably suit them and that's the call.
With confidence low on both sides, you would have thought keeping it tight at the back and being organised would be the call here.
Spurs at least tightened up after a disastrous start at Newcastle and this looks set to be a low-scoring affair. Go for under 2.5 goals at 6/5 with bet365.
This English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will be played on Apr 27, 2023 and kick off at 20:15. Check below for our tipsters best Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
