Prediction: Tottenham vs Manchester United

The two sides that had a pretty slow start to the new Premier League campaign are on fire at the moment, meaning that we are likely to see a cracking encounter at White Hart Lane. Spurs revived their top 4 bid with three victories on the trot, but they will need to continue the rich vein of form in order to stop red-hot Manchester United in their tracks.

New manager Mauricio Pochettino needed quite a while to get this team playing to their potential, but it appears things are slowly falling into place. While Hart Lane graduates Harry Kane and Ryan Mason has had a major role to play in team’s impressive run of results of late, while Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela are starting to prove they could develop into genuine world-class players. The most important thing is that Spurs have shown a great deal of character of late, given that their quality was never in question, with Tottenham winning three of their last four games by scoring after their opponents had cancelled their opening lead. Spurs recorded the fourth straight win in all competitions as they defeated Leicester City on the road, and with the team now mere two points behind Champions League positions, they will be very motivated to continue the bright run against Manchester United. It won’t be easy for the home defence to stop the likes of Rooney, Van Persie and Falcao, but Tottenham can be confident they will be a constant threat up front given the current form of Kane, Eriksen and Lamela. Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed Hugo Lloris will be ready to play, meaning the Argentine will have fully fit squad to select from.

Louis van Gaal had promised he would help Manchester United return to old glory days and the Dutch coach has so far done even better than expected. The Red Devils needed some time to recover from the disappointing start, but their recent results are enough to suggest the Old Trafford outfit could even enter the Premier League title race. The best thing here is that the team still have plenty of room for improvement, with some important players struggling for form and others not yet ready to return from injury. It appears that Louis van Gaal has finally found the perfect formation, with Rooney and Mata operating behind Falcao and Van Persie, with the attacking four tearing Newcastle defence to shreds in Friday’s 3-1 triumph. With the team playing so well at the moment and Angel di Maria still sidelined through injury, chances are that van Gaal will not be making major changes to the starting line-up, in spite of the hectic schedule. This should see the Red Devils continue the impressive scoring run and play their part in making the Tottenham clash a joy to watch. Adnan Januzaj and Marouane Fellaini could return from illness, but the game comes too soon for Marco Rojo and Daley Blind.

Conclusion

The clash between two in-form sides should prove to be a high-scoring affair, with both Tottenham and Manchester United confident of their chances of outscoring the opposition. Therefore, I feel there is good value in betting on over 2.5 goals in the match.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 2/3

Bookmaker: bet365