Statistical Betting Preview: Tottenham vs Manchester United

Tottenham host Manchester United on Sunday, hoping to fare better than last weekend, when they suffered a humble defeat at the hands on United’s rivals Manchester City.

Andre Villas-Boas has thrust Sandro back into the action since the Brazilian’s return from injury, and Sandro has repaid this faith shown in him by producing a number of swashbuckling displays. He may have been on the wrong side of a 6-0 drumming against City, but Sandro certainly showed his commitment to the cause throwing himself into 10 challenges – the third most in the league.

Moussa Dembele entered the fray with only 29 minutes remaining on the clock on Sunday, and although he couldn’t stop the rot, he will have given Villas-Boas some food for thought when he comes to selecting his lineup for this weekend. The Belgian managed to complete a pass in Manchester City’s half at a staggering rate of a pass every minute. Dembele is 7/1 with 888sport.com to score at any point on Sunday.

If rumours are to be believed, then Tottenham will have lost a top class forward in Jermaine Defoe following his heavily touted move to Canada. Defoe may not have featured on a regular basis in the league for Spurs, but he has certainly shown his shooting prowess whenever given the opportunity. Defoe has hit the target with an impressive 80% of his shots this term.

Jan Vertonghen has been predominantly featuring at left back for Spurs this term following an injury to Danny Rose, and despite his preference to play centre half, he has performed extremely well. This is partly evident in the number of dribbles he has completed, with his 12 dribbles the sixth most of any defender in the league.

Manchester United enter this fixture with Spurs in fine form, following their incredible 5-0 victory over Leverkusen.

Moyes handed Jonny Evans a start against Cardiff at the weekend, and he repaid his manager’s faith in him with a goal. Evans, however, earns his money through his defending rather than his goalscoring exploits, and the Northern Irishman was incredibly successful in the number of clearances he made (14). This was more than any other player in the United squad.

Wayne Rooney has been in scintillating form this season, with many fans claiming that he’s in his best ever form. His passing has been a joy to behold, and this was no different on Sunday as he completed 23 passes in the Cardiff half – more than any of his teammates.

Rooney registered another assist at the weekend, taking his overall assist tally to 7. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index highlights that no other player has managed as many as the former Everton man.

Shinji Kagawa produced an inspirational performance against Leverkusen, giving manager David Moyes a very welcome selection headache. Kagawa feels that the number 10. role is his best position, as it is where he can showcase his undoubted passing ability. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index highlights the cogency behind Kagawa’s claims, as he has completed a pass in the opposition half at an impressive rate of a pass every 2.7 minutes this term. You can find Kagawa at 13/2 to score at any time this weekend with 888sport.com

There was period when former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would rotate between ‘keepers David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard, but so far this term David Moyes has put his faith in the Spanish shotstopper. De Gea is the only player in the United squad to feature in every minute of the campaign to date.