English Premier
2025-02-16 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 16th February 2025 - Kick Off 4:30pm
This game is live on TV
Tottenham Hotspur
Losing two away domestic Cup ties in the space of a few days have heaped the pressure on Ange Postecoglou as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, although the fans are firmly placing the blame on Daniel Levy and the owners. A 'sit in' is set to take place at the end of this fixture as fans protest the direction Levy is taking the club, but Postecoglou and his players have to focus on trying to build some momentum and turn this disappointing season around.
After saying he 'always' wins trophies in his second season, Ange Postecoglou's focus may be on the Europa League the rest of the way with Tottenham Hotspur down in 14th place in the Premier League standings. They are closer in terms of points to the bottom three than the top seven and Tottenham Hotspur have a 4-2-6 record at home where they have scored 27 goals, but conceded 23.
Tottenham Hotspur have been suffering and they have lost 8 of their last 14 games in all competitions, including exits in the League Cup and FA Cup. The side had lost 6 of 7 Premier League games to slip towards the relegation zone, but Tottenham Hotspur earned an important 0-2 win at Brentford in their last League fixture. Tottenham Hotspur have won none of their last 7 home Premier League games and earned 2 points from a possible 21 in that time.
This could be a big week for Tottenham Hotspur in terms of the squad availability- the likes of Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson could all play some part. Both Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke are hoping to return next weekend, but Richarlison is set to the miss the rest of the month.
Manchester United
Harry Maguire scored the winning goal against former club Leicester City in the FA Cup Fourth Round last week, although he benefited from a really poor mistake from the officials who failed to see he was standing clearly offside. Even manager Ruben Amorim admitted that his team were fortunate and he has demanded big improvements from Manchester United who have been winning games without being that convincing.
The FA Cup and Europa League offers Manchester United a chance to at least earn some successes this season, but Amorim has stated that the Cup performances should not cover League form. He will be demanding improvement from the Manchester United squad who have the club sitting in 13th place in the Premier League table and out of contention for European spots. They have a 3-4-4 record away from home in the Premier League where Manchester United have scored 11 goals and conceded 12.
Manchester United have lost 2 of their last 9 games in all competitions and they have won 5 of their last 7, which feels surprising to all of the fans. The side have played 4 away games in all competitions this calendar year and Manchester United are unbeaten in those, while winning back to back fixtures on their travels at Fulham and FCSB without conceding a goal.
Lisandro Martinez is a long-term absentee, along with Luke Shaw and Mason Mount.
Head to Head
Tottenham Hotspur have beaten Manchester United twice already this season- they won 0-3 at Old Trafford in the League and beat United 4-3 at home in the League Cup Quarter Final.
Spurs are unbeaten in 3 home games against Manchester United and have beaten them twice in a row in this part of North London.
Prediction
At the start of the Premier League season, both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United would have been targeting top four finishes and a return to the Champions League.
Things have changed dramatically since August with Spurs in 14th place in the Premier League table and Manchester United just a spot higher. Neither club is looking good for a spot in European competition next season, although both are amongst the favourites in the Europa League and winning that competition may actually be the focus going forward.
However, neither Ange Postecoglou nor Ruben Amorim can really afford to see the Premier League form continue to flounder and it is a big game for both managers.
Ange Postecoglou has been frustrated by some of the journalist questions he has been dealing with, but his squad could be bolstered by a number of returning first team players. Risking them all would perhaps be a mistake with the Last 16 of the Europa League coming up next month, but Postecoglou does feel his team will be much better with those players back to offer some depth to the squad.
Tottenham Hotspur may have a much stronger first eleven starting on Sunday compared with the team that was Knocked Out of the League Cup and FA Cup in the space of four days last week.
This will certainly help, while they have also been able to get the better of Manchester United under Postecoglou with 3 wins from 4 matches played and the exception being a 2-2 draw.
Manchester United will be travelling to North London with a healthier squad, but Ruben Amorim has yet to really find consistent performances from his team. Despite that, late goals have helped Manchester United somehow win 5 of their last 7 in all competitions and they have earned consecutive away clean sheets in wins at Fulham and FCSB, which has to be respected.
In saying that, neither win was all that convincing and there have been slow moments in fixtures, which can be exploited by Tottenham Hotspur.
You can understand the criticism that has been faced by Ange Postecoglou, but his team will be stronger with some of the players expected back this weekend. Spurs have also been more convincing going forward and they may feel that this Manchester United team is not capable of exploiting what has been a vulnerable defence.
Over a week of training with the squad will help Ruben Amorim, but Manchester United feel like a work in progress and have yet to settle into the formation used by the manager.
Results have perhaps covered up some of the performances and Tottenham Hotspur may benefit from a midweek free from football for the first time in several weeks. Being at home where they have scored so many goals gives Tottenham Hotspur the edge and they may be worth backing at a big price to earn the victory on Sunday afternoon before the fans protest the direction the club has been taken by Daniel Levy and the owners.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Manchester United
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll suggest Tottenham Hotspur to Win at 2.50 with BetFred
