Paul Higham says Man United's flying start to life under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be brought back down to earth at Tottenham on Sunday.
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2pts Tottenham to win at 11/10
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Tottenham v Man United (1630 GMT Sky Sports Premier League)
Mauricio Pochettino and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer go head-to-head in what some have playfully billed as the most high-profile job interview of all time with both men at the thick end of the betting market to be the next permanent Manchester United boss.
For the record, I've got a feeling Pochettino may just hang around at Tottenham for another season once the new stadium finally opens, given the hard graft he's put in while they built their shiny new home down White Hart Lane.
It's also a first true test for Solskjaer's managerial skills after he was handed what everyone could agree was the softest introduction to the Old Trafford hot seat imaginable.
Will his side's new-found confidence and free-flowing brand of football be able to make a dent in Spurs' settled outfit that looked a class above the Red Devils ever since their emphatic away win earlier in the season.
A win at Wembley would have United fans in dreamland and Solskjaer would edge a step nearer the prospect of getting the job full-time, but for now they'd probably take a performance full of joyful and expressive football and going toe-to-toe with Harry Kane and company at Wembley.
From what we've seen so far, though, United's defence remains their weak point and Spurs have all the tools you'd want to be able to take advantage.
Betting guide
Tottenham 2-1 Man United (Sky Bet odds: 8/1)
Winning three in a row v United for the first time since the 1960s would be real feather in Spurs' cap. They've been hit and miss against big sides so far, being well beaten by Liverpool but then thumping Chelsea but after wins in the FA and Carabao Cup they'll be on a high for this one and if United try and take them on they should be able to punish.
Best bet: Tottenham to win at 11/10
I'm always a big advocate of keeping it simple in big games like this, and here there's no reason not to take the plunge on Spurs winning a game they really should be able to get three points out of. They are 10 points better off in the table after all and only two points behind Man City, yet they're still not being taken seriously as title contenders. That may change with a good win here.
Goals: Son Heung-min anytime scorer at 15/8
Two reasons here for this - firstly is just a plain appreciation of the South Korean as a wonderful player who's continually underrated but also continually shines for Spurs whenever he plays. It's also his last match before going off to the Asian Cup so will be keen to end on a high note.
RequestABet: Spurs win, over 2.5 goals, 10+ match corners, Son to score anytime at 13/2
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United Opta stats
- Spurs are looking to win three consecutive top-flight meetings with Manchester United for the first time since September 1960.
- Manchester United have lost their last three away Premier League matches against Spurs – they had lost just three of their first 23 against them in the competition between 1992 and 2014 (W12 D8).
- Spurs could become the first team since Everton in 1987 to win four consecutive home top-flight matches against Manchester United.
- Manchester United have lost two of their last three matches at Wembley in all competitions (including this exact fixture last season), as many as they had in their last 15 at the ground (W8 D5 L2).
- Manchester United have won just four of their last 17 away Premier League matches in London (D4 L9).
- Tottenham haven’t lost consecutive home league games since May 2015, when they lost against Aston Villa and Man City.
- After winning their last four league games against fellow ‘big six’ opposition last season, Manchester United are winless in their five such matches this term (D2 L3).
- Victory here would see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer equal Matt Busby’s record of a Manchester United manager winning their first five league games in charge of the club.
- Harry Kane and Lucas Moura (2) were on the scoresheet in Tottenham’s 3-0 win in the reverse fixture – only Clint Dempsey in 2012-13 and Jermaine Jenas in 2005-06 have scored home and away against Man Utd for Spurs in the same Premier League campaign.
- Tottenham’s Harry Kane has scored eight goals in his last eight Premier League starts.
- For club and country in all competitions, Manchester United’s Alexis Sanchez has been directly involved in nine goals in his nine appearances at Wembley Stadium, scoring eight and assisting one.
- Marcus Rashford has been directly involved in nine goals in his last eight Premier League games for Manchester United (4 goals, 5 assists), and is looking to score in three consecutive top-flight games for the first time in his career.
Odds correct as of 1500 GMT on 11/01/19
