After the humiliating defeat at the hands of Man City last week, there's been a lot of talk about the United squad. Certain players aren't trying hard enough, some aren't good enough or some should never play for the team again, depending on who you listen to.
With the exception of one very meaty tackle from Harry Maguire, the Manchester derby wasn't exactly what you'd call a fiery contest. Having listened to so many critics all week, expect the Red Devils to come out swinging.
Looking for a player who could get booked for United isn't hard. Maguire, Shaw, Fernandes and McTominay are all edging towards 10 bookings in the league this season. Fred is a yellow card away from a one game suspension too. A card to be shown in the first 10 minutes of the game is 6/1 with bet365. If the players are pumped up and ready to show they have some fight left in them, this should land.
It's almost impossible to know which version of Spurs is going to show up. Their last 6 games are a perfect representation of that - a home defeat to Wolves, a win at the Etihad, losing to Burnley, picking Leeds apart, knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough and a 5-0 drubbing of Everton. In fact, since New Year's Day, Spurs have won 6 and lost 6, with the sole draw being the FA Cup tie in which they were eliminated after extra time.
Despite not being able to string two good results together recently, this could be the perfect fixture for Tottenham. Manchester United are in complete disarray of late and failed to beat Watford, Southampton or Middlesbrough at Old Trafford in the month of February.
Spurs have their sights firmly set on chasing down Arsenal in the hunt for a top 4 finish. A win here would go a long way to achieving that. The 12/5 on offer with Betfair looks very generous.
We've been treated to some classic Man Utd v Spurs games over the years. United's come-from-behind 5-2 victory in 2009 stands out for many fans. Second half braces from Ronaldo and Rooney were enough to see off the visitors.
Spurs fans will remember their side's 6-1 win at Old Trafford from 2020 more fondly. That game had everything – three goals in the first 10 minutes, a red card and two penalties. Of course it's a much happier memory for Tottenham, but for neutrals, any game between two top teams which has seven goals is a good thing.
10 of the last 15 times this fixture has taken place, the game has had three or more goals. Over 2.5 goals is currently priced at 8/11 with 888sport. It's odds on, so nobody will get rich backing it, but recent history suggests it wins.