Premier League game of the week: Man United and Spurs have some explaining to do

When scanning the Premier League calendar for potential 'game of the week' candidates this summer, we were quick to highlight Man United versus Tottenham Hotspur as our headliner for Matchday 6. On paper, it had everything we wanted from a big match: off-field history, on-field talent, potential repercussions for each's teams season and true global appeal.

Flash forward to today, however, and the picture looks a little different. We're still happy to highlight United and Spurs; their clash this Sunday is set to be a fascinating one. But it's not fascinating because it features two big teams playing for glory: it's fascinating because it features two big teams playing for dignity before the title race utterly eludes them.

United and Spurs are 10th and 11th in the Premier League table right now. For context, Nottingham Forest and Fulham are playing on Saturday, and they're both ranked higher than these two. That's a dismal state of affairs for both clubs, an almighty failure of leadership and resourcing—but the two failures look awfully different when placed under a microscope.

For Spurs, failure is simply an inability to deliver upon promise. This is not a team that has looked terrible in 2024/5; it's a team that's looked great, sometimes even exceptional, but one that can't always drag results over the line. Losing to Arsenal in the North London derby must've stung, but it's an acceptable loss for Spurs. Less acceptable? Failing to win against Newcastle and Leicester, two teams it should be beating without much fuss. While coach Ange Postecoglou is beloved in North London for his efforts last season, there's a growing sense that he's letting idealism get in the way of pragmatism with Spurs. Playing fluid, swashbuckling attacking soccer is great, but sometimes you need to...you know... not do that, and focus on defensive rigidity instead to see games out. Ange refuses, and teams like Leicester and Newcastle have already taken full advantage.

For United, failure is a bit more creeping than insidious. It's a general malaise that's settled over Old Trafford for years now, one that nothing—not manager changes, not young player discovery, not even winning the FA Cup—has lifted. United has one of the highest wage bills in England and features players most clubs would kill to have: Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt and more. But somehow, the only team it's beaten well this season is relegation-bound Southampton. It nicked a last-second victory over far superior Fulham. It played out a turgid 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace. It got rightfully hammered by Liverpool and Brighton. Things just don't feel good at United right now, and everyone can see it.

One game isn't going to fix everything for either of these struggling sides. But one game can be a stepping stone to two, or three, or dozens over the course of the season. Here are the bets we're eyeing as United and Spurs gear up to save face:

Result. The only result that helps absolutely nobody here is a draw, and accordingly, in conjunction with the terrible, no-good, bad-luck seasons that both of these teams are having, we think it's a likely outcome at +275. Bettors might also want to consider backing a scored draw at +300 to get a little more bang for their buck. United and Spurs have drawn twice in the league in their last three meetings; both of those draws ended 2-2. If you're looking to swing for the fences, consider backing that 2-2 exact score at +1100.

Shots. United may not be in fine goalscoring form this season, but it is creating lots of gorgeous chances on the backend. (It's just failing to finish them correctly—blame new signing Joshua Zirkzee, whose misses this season have been far more spectacular than his hits.) Accordingly, we're backing defender Matthijs de Ligt to make at least one shot at +300. He's made at least two per game in his last two outings.

Assists. When things get tough for Spurs, there's one man they can always turn to: Son Heung-Min. The South Korean winger seems to be finding a vein of form in recent games. Risk-averse bettors looking to back Son might want to bet on him scoring or assisting at -110 ; bettors looking for a little more payback might want to back him to make at least one assist instead at +400. It does remove the option of benefiting from a Son goal, but it's not as crazy as it seems: Son racked up two assists just last weekend against Brentford.