Chris Sutton predicts result of Manchester United vs Tottenham clash, makes bold claim on Harry Kane and Eriksen
BBC pundit and former Blackburn Rovers forward Chris Sutton believes Tottenham Hotspur will defeat Manchester United this week.
The two teams will clash in a Premier League encounter on Wednesday (October 19) at Old Trafford. Spurs are currently third in the league standings with 23 points from 10 matches, while the Red Devils are fifth with 16 points from nine games.
United will enter this game on the back of a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United, where they were shackled by the Magpies' defensive organization. Tottenham, meanwhile, won 2-0 at home against Everton in their last game.
Sutton believes Christian Eriksen's potential return to face his former side could help Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur. However, he also predicted that Harry Kane, who scored from the spot against Everton, will win and convert another penalty to punish the Red Devils.
Sutton predicted a 3-1 win for Spurs and wrote in his column for the BBC:
"Manchester United rode their luck against Newcastle, but I think it will be a different story against Spurs. If Harry Kane gets any chances, then he is in the kind of form to take them."
The former footballer continued:
"At the other end, United were slightly toothless against the Magpies. They missed Christian Eriksen, who was out with illness and is still a doubt for this game, and they will need his craft to cause his former club any problems."
Sutton concluded:
"Even if Eriksen plays, however, I'm going for an Antonio Conte counter-attacking win for Tottenham, with Kane kicking things off by winning another penalty and slotting this one away too."
United have scored 13 goals so far this season, the lowest among teams in the Premier League's top six, while Spurs have netted 22 times, the third-highest. Antonio Conte's side have also conceded only 10 times, joint second-best in the league, while the Red Devils have let in 15 goals, the worst among the top eight.
Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur twice last season
Manchester United endured a fairly disastrous 2021-22 Premier League season as they finished sixth in the standings with a goal difference of zero. However, they enjoyed two excellent league outings against Tottenham Hotspur.
The two teams first met in October 2021 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford gave the Red Devils a resounding 3-0 victory.
Spurs put up much more of a fight in the return fixture at Old Trafford in March 2022.
Ronaldo put the hosts ahead, but Harry Kane equalized from the spot. United scored again in the first half through their Portuguese superstar to go 2-1 up. However, an own goal by Harry Maguire brought the visitors level midway through the second half.
Ronaldo stepped up one last time in the 81st minute to complete his hat-trick and hand Manchester United all three points.