Manchester United host Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday as the sixth round of the Premier League comes to a close. Commentator and analyst Mikhail Beloborodov expects the visitors to approach the game cautiously and believes the total number of goals could be the most attractive betting option.
Manchester United finished last season strongly, taking third place, and Michael Carrick remains in charge. Their start to the new campaign, however, has been disappointing. They have collected five points from their opening matches and sit 12th in the table.
A 5-2 victory over Ipswich appeared to offer encouragement, but Manchester United then surrendered a lead twice in a 2-2 draw with Everton. They conceded the equaliser in the sixth minute of added time at the end of the second half.
The Red Devils followed that result with a 1-0 defeat by Manchester City in a controversial derby. The officials incorrectly allowed a goal for City, although Carrick's side also had reasons to blame themselves. Manchester United played with a numerical advantage from midway through the first half but failed to make it count, and even finished the match behind their opponents on expected goals.
Before the break in club football, Manchester United generated almost 30 attempts on the opposition goal against Fulham. Yet they only narrowly avoided defeat, with the equaliser arriving in the 89th minute of a 1-1 draw.
Tottenham's situation is even more difficult. Last season, they only just avoided relegation to the Championship. There had been hope that their fortunes would improve this term, particularly as they did not have to divide their attention between domestic football and international competition. The club also spent heavily on new players in the transfer market.
Those changes have so far brought only two points from the opening five rounds, leaving Tottenham at the bottom of the table. The Spurs failed to score in each of their first four matches. Their only positive results in the first half of September were goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton.
They finally scored twice in their most recent league game, but only after conceding three goals. Roberto De Zerbi's team therefore lost 3-2 to Aston Villa.
Manchester United are favourites for the meeting, although several players are suffering from illness and their participation is uncertain. Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko, Kobbie Mainoo and Patrick Dorgu are among those who could miss out. The absence of any one of them would reduce the team's creative threat, while the squad may also lack cohesion after many players represented their national teams during the international break.
Tottenham are unlikely to take an especially aggressive approach at Old Trafford, given their struggles in front of goal this season. Beloborodov therefore considers the under-goals market appealing. Recent meetings between the sides support that view: three of the last four encounters produced no more than two goals.