Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur 05/12/19

5 December 2019

Manchester United entertain an in-form Tottenham Hotspur side at Old Trafford, looking to inflict a first Premier League (PL) defeat on their former boss Jose Mourinho.

The hosts go into this fixture after failing to pick up a win in their last three competitive matches (D2, L1), with each of them producing over 2.5 goals and seeing both teams score. United’s main problem ahead of the kick-off is their inability to keep a blank sheet, as they’ve conceded at least one goal in all nine of their previous PL outings. In fact, the Red Devils have failed to prevent their opponents from scoring in five of seven PL home games this season. Five of their seven PL home goals conceded so far arrived in the second half, with four of them coming beyond the hour mark (80%). Still, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have hit the back of the net in all ten of their competitive home matches this term, scoring two or more goals in the last three.

Meanwhile, the visitors have seen an upturn in results since Jose Mourinho took over the reins. Spurs have won three consecutive games in all competitions under the Portuguese boss, scoring at least three goals and conceding precisely two in each. Also, under Mourinho’s guidance, Tottenham have halted a disastrous 12-game winless PL away run (D3, L9) with a 3-2 win over West Ham. But, the London giants have not enjoyed much success at Old Trafford in recent years. They’ve lost four consecutive PL trips to Manchester without scoring a single goal before a stunning 3-0 triumph last season. Furthermore, Spurs have allowed over 1.5 match goals in all but one of their seven PL away games this term, with their last PL clean sheet on the road dating back to January 2019.