SPURS TAKE ON RED DEVILS
Dimitar Berbatov makes his first return to White Hart Lane on Saturday 13th December since his controversial deadline day move from North London to Manchester.
Spread betting punters will be keen to look at the performance markets of Berbatov who despite having some good games for the Champions, has also put in what some people might call lazy performances. His return of six goals in 14 games is respectable, however he hasn't been as prolific in front of goal as one would expect from a �30 million pound striker.
United travel to White Hart Lane, where they haven't lost since 2001. Ironically it was Berbatov last season who thought he had scored the winner against United only for Carlos Tevez to grab an equaliser deep into injury time. Since their last defeat at Spurs, football spread betting fans will be interested to know that United have smashed in 17 goals at 'The Lane' and are coming into this game on a high after their recent Derby day victory over rivals City.
They will also take heart that they will be going up against Tottenham's somewhat frail goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes. Since signing for Spurs in the summer from PSV, the Brazilian has made a number of high profile mistakes, including a shocker at Fulham in mid November which gave new manager Harry Redknapp his first defeat since taking over from the recently departed Juande Ramos.
Redknapp has certainly had a huge impact on Spurs since taking charge in late October. His arrival signalled the start of a six game unbeaten run which included an amazing 4-4 draw at North London rivals Arsenal and a victory over the then unbeaten Liverpool at a rain soaked White Hart Lane. Since losing at Fulham, Redknapp has lead Spurs to another three victories out of four which included victories in the UEFA and Carling Cups.
Spurs will however be aware that their defensive record and recent home record against the European Champions doesn't bode well for them. Spurs have conceded 21 goals in the Premier League alone this season and although they have tightened things up at the back a little since Redknapp took over, United's forward line will be licking their lips at a possible opportunity to put on another goal scoring clinic at White Hart Lane. Twice since the turn of the millennium, United have put at least four past Spurs on their own patch, most recently in 2007 when goals from Ronaldo, Vidic, Scholes and Giggs gave the then title chasing reds a 4-0 win. In 2001 United put five past Spurs coming from 3-0 down at half time to complete an unbelievable comeback.
This is a crucial game for both teams. United are still a few points back from the League leaders Liverpool after an indifferent start which has included defeats at both Anfield and the Emirates. Draws at Everton, Aston Villa and title rivals Chelsea have also not helped their campaign, however recent slip ups by both Liverpool and Chelsea have meant that United are still well in the hunt to claim a third straight Premiership crown.
Tottenham on the other hand need the points to crawl away from the relegation zone. They got off to their worst start in years, and despite Redknapp steadying the ship somewhat, they still find themselves right in the midst of a relegation battle and need to pick up points quickly if they are to push for another season of European football. Recent weeks have shown that a couple of wins can take you from the depths of the table to the cusp of a UEFA Cup spot in a matter of weeks. Just ask Bolton Fans.
Whatever the result on Saturday 13th December, these encounters always tend to provide talking points and plenty of incident.
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