I can’t see this being a low scoring game between two teams who desperately need all three points here, even after a lengthy international break.

Manchester United are one of just three teams in the Premier League who are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, notably conceding eight goals across their opening five games from an xG against of 6.80.

Three of their four home games across all competitions have seen 3+ goals, with United conceding three goals against Brighton in the EFL Cup at Old Trafford last time out.

Tottenham haven’t fared much better than their opponents here, failing to win any of their five matches in the Premier League and keeping clean sheets in just two of these games. 

Their underlying chance creation numbers would suggest that they’re getting in the right areas (5.0 xG leading to two goals scored), and this is the perfect team to face in wanting to improve that conversion given how weak United look at the back right now.

The international break arrived at a good time for Man United, as they have failed to win any of their last three matches. Michael Carrick’s side will be desperate to bounce back strongly at Old Trafford, and this looks like the perfect matchup against a Tottenham team still searching for their first league victory. 

Bryan Mbeumo has been one of Man United’s most consistent players, as he has scored twice so far this campaign. The Cameroon international has also landed this selection in all five league starts, including three shots against Man City, and five efforts against Fulham. Mbeumo also scored against Spurs during Man United’s 2-0 victory at Old Trafford last season, so he should be looking forward to this matchup.

It’s fair to say that Omar Marmoush has found the move to Tottenham from Manchester City quite difficult so far, but one area where he has shown consistency in his early weeks as a Tottenham player is committing fouls.

Marmoush has committed eight fouls across his four Premier League starts for Tottenham already this season, working out to an average of 2.11 fouls committed per 90. He’s very eager to prove himself, which is understandable, but that often results in Marmoush being over aggressive with his challenges.

Marmoush is set to have quite a few battles with Harry Maguire in this clash, who is a centre back that is very comfortable on the ball and surprisingly good when it comes to winning fouls. 

Maguire has won four fouls across his five starts in the Premier League (0.80 per 90) and notably has a real physicality advantage over Marmoush, which should benefit this angle as Maguire is likely to win quite a lot of the duels between the pair.

Jan Paul van Hecke is a very important player for Roberto De Zerbi’s style of play with the former Brighton man being very comfortable on the ball and is familiar with the demands of the manager having worked with him at his former club.

Van Hecke has won five fouls across his five starts in the Premier League already (1.00 per 90) with the Dutchman being incredibly comfortable on the ball. He’s already completed 366 passes (73.2 per 90) and completed 106 line breaking passes (21.2 per 90) which are metrics that highlight Van Hecke’s strengths really well.

Benjamin Sesko is a doubt for this game, so Cunha or Mbeumo are likely to lead the line for United. The former has committed five fouls across his five starts in the Premier League this season (1.10 per 90) while Mbeumo also boasts a pretty decent foul average across the early games of the season (0.80 per 90). 

I’ve touched on the issues that United have faced defensively so far this season, being one of only three sides yet to keep a clean sheet in the division.

I wouldn’t put those defensive issues down to Lammens, he’s a top keeper in my opinion and is being asked to do far too much for his age and experience. 

He’s been forced into making 16 saves across his five starts in the Premier League (3.20 per 90), highlighting just how much United are relying on his shot stopping ability as their main defensive outlook. 

Tottenham have had issues when it comes to converting chances, but are still averaging 3.80 shots on target per game in the Premier League this season. I think they’ll be eager to take aim against Lammens in this clash as they face off against one of the weakest backlines in the division.

Manchester United were so over-reliant on Bruno Fernandes last season and that has remained the case in the early stages of this season with Fernandes scoring three goals and providing an assist across his five starts in the Premier League so far. 

He’s avoided a caution so far, but has committed three fouls across these matches and tends to get more involved in these bigger matches, especially following United’s poor start to the campaign. Fernandes scored in this fixture last season as United secured a 2-0 victory over Tottenham, with Fernandes notably taking eight shots in that game.

Fernandes should be able to continue his strong start to the season against a Tottenham side who are yet to win a game in the Premier League. He performed well over the international break for Portugal, with his standout game being against Denmark where he registered two assists.

I can see Martinez and Solanke being in a real battle here with the Tottenham forward being quite a handful even if he isn’t the most clinical finisher in the Premier League.

Solanke’s hold up play is an underrated part of his game and it leads to him being pretty consistent when it comes to winning fouls. He’s often able to pin his direct opponent, and will much prefer the physical battle against Martinez compared to Maguire.

Martinez is easily frustrated and was sent off once in the Premier League last season across his 13 starts. He also collected seven yellow cards across just 20 starts in the Premier League the season prior, averaging 1.13 fouls committed per 90.

I really like Anton Stach and he reflects the overall attitude and approach of this Leeds side which has been built around the themes of physicality, height and intensity. 

Stach has already scored once this season, with that goal coming on the opening day of the campaign as he converted a free kick to give Leeds all three points away at Forest. That is one of seven shots he’s had so far this season (1.41 per 90), and is one of his best attributes.

Stach is not afraid to take aim from distance having taken five of his seven efforts this season from outside of the box. One of the recent interesting trends with sides taking on Arsenal this season is how many are willing to shoot from distance - it is possibly the only weakness in Raya’s game and Stach will be aware of that.

Stach scored five goals across his 28 starts in the Premier League last season, taking 55 shots across those games (2.08 per 90). This is a nice price for him to find the target at the Emirates with Stach being on free kicks and generally being willing to shoot from distance.

I can see Martinez and Solanke being in a real battle here with the Tottenham forward being quite a handful even if he isn’t the most clinical finisher in the Premier League.

Solanke’s hold up play is an underrated part of his game and it leads to him being pretty consistent when it comes to winning fouls. He’s often able to pin his direct opponent, and will much prefer the physical battle against Martinez compared to Maguire.

Martinez is easily frustrated and was sent off once in the Premier League last season across his 13 starts. He also collected seven yellow cards across just 20 starts in the Premier League the season prior, averaging 1.13 fouls committed per 90.

Ethan Ampadu collected more yellow cards than any other Leeds player in the Premier League last season (10), and faces a tough midfield battle here against Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bruno Guimaraes which is likely to tempt him into collecting his first caution of this campaign.

Ampadu hasn’t been that aggressive so far, committing just four fouls across his five starts in the Premier League, but did commit nine fouls across his four games during the international break with the Wales captain picking up a caution in their 2-1 win over Norway at home.

Ampadu is likely to be in a real tussle with Bruno Guimaraes, who is one of the most consistent players in the Premier League when it comes to winning fouls. He’s already won six across just 124 minutes of action for Arsenal this season (4.35 per 90) and also averaged 2.75 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League last season.

Omar Marmoush has started all five league games for Tottenham since arriving from Man City, operating either from the left or through the middle. If he returns to the wing at Old Trafford, he should find himself directly against Diogo Dalot.

Marmoush has drawn at least one foul in each of his last five Premier League starts, and he is averaging 1.88 fouls drawn per 90 for his new club.

The Egyptian is usually quite positive when he gets the ball, looking to turn and beat his man, which can make him a difficult player to contain. Dalot’s foul record has been inconsistent, but his numbers tend to increase when playing against a more direct winger. He committed three fouls against Man City before the international break, and two when facing Tottenham at Old Trafford last season.

Brighton have started the season in excellent form, but they still have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League. In fact, they have picked up 12 yellow cards in five matches - only Hull, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest have been carded more often than the Seagulls. Fabian Hurzeler wants his men to press strongly in midfield, making this a great matchup to target Enzo Le Fee. 

The Frenchman is averaging 2.38 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, with that figure rising to 2.67 at the Stadium of Light. He has drawn 14 fouls across six competitive appearances, including five during Sunderland’s Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar. The Frenchman sees plenty of possession in Sunderland’s midfield and regularly carries the ball into congested areas. Brighton’s aggressive approach should give him opportunities to attract contact whenever he turns away from pressure.

John McGinn is averaging 2.99 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, and he has been fouled multiple times in seven of his eight starts. Unai Emery has had McGinn starting on the right wing this season, and he usually stays wide to try and stretch the play. 

That should put McGinn directly up against Keane Lewis-Potter, as he has been operating at left-back for Brentford. The 24-year-old prefers playing further forward, so isn’t used to having as much of a defensive responsibility. He has committed nine fouls across his five Premier League starts, averaging 1.91 fouls per 90. This matchup against McGinn out wide looks optimal to target this market again.

Wesley Fofana will have to deal with Evanilson this weekend, and that is a matchup to keep an eye on. The Brazilian international likes to press aggressively from the front, and his foul numbers have increased significantly since Marco Rose took over as Bournemouth manager.

Evanilson averaged 0.88 fouls per 90 across all competitions last season, but that figure has risen to 1.81 this campaign. He has recorded multiple infringements in four of his six starts, including two fouls against both Man City and Liverpool, respectively. 

Meanwhile, Fofana has drawn exactly two fouls in each of his last three league starts, which shows how he can be adept at drawing contact, and alleviating some pressure on his side by getting free-kicks.

It has been a mixed start for Ipswich, who have recorded two wins and three losses in their opening five Premier League matches. The Tractor Boys have looked a bit weak defensively at times, but they have been able to pose a danger in the final third, and Julio Enciso is a key reason for that. 

The Paraguay international has landed this selection in all five starts overall, including two fouls drawn against both Sunderland and Man United - Ipswich had an average of just 39% possession in those matches. Playing at Portman Road against a struggling Fulham side, Ipswich should be able to exert much more control on proceedings, which makes this price appeal.

The international break arrived at a good time for Man United, as they have failed to win any of their last three matches. Michael Carrick’s side will be desperate to bounce back strongly at Old Trafford, and this looks like the perfect matchup against a Tottenham team still searching for their first league victory. 

Bryan Mbeumo has been one of Man United’s most consistent players, as he has scored twice so far this campaign. The Cameroon international has also landed this selection in all five league starts, including three shots against Man City, and five efforts against Fulham. Mbeumo also scored against Spurs during Man United’s 2-0 victory at Old Trafford last season, so he should be looking forward to this matchup.

Yasin Ayari is averaging 2.72 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, and that figure could rise further while Jack Hinshelwood remains out through injury. His absence has pushed Ayari into a more advanced midfield position, giving him more freedom to make runs into the box and look to get on the end of crosses.

The Swedish international landed this selection against Arsenal just before the break, recording two attempts during Brighton’s impressive 3-0 victory against the title-holders. He also scored for Sweden against Romania during the Nations League, so he should come into this full of confidence. Sunderland have won only one of their opening five league matches, making this a favourable matchup to target Ayari.

Reece James averaged 1.05 shots per 90 across all competitions for Chelsea last season, with that figure rising to 1.22 at Stamford Bridge. His attacking involvement has increased significantly under Xabi Alonso, who has pushed Reece James into midfield. The Englishman missed out against Brentford with a hamstring injury, but he should be fit to start this weekend. 

James is averaging 2.46 shots per 90 this season, and he has recorded multiple efforts at goal in all four starts. That includes three shots against Arsenal at the Emirates, despite that being a tough matchup for Chelsea. This clash against Bournemouth looks much better to target Reece James, as the Cherries are yet to win in the Premier League this season.

It has been a difficult start to life in the Premier League for Alvaro Arbeloa, as Fulham have only picked up two points from their opening five matches. They have scored five goals during that sequence, and Josh King has accounted for two of them.

The 19-year-old has established himself as a key player for Fulham in an advanced midfield position, and he has landed this selection in four of his five starts across all competitions. King has also recorded multiple shots in every Premier League start this term, which shows how involved he is in the final third. No player has recorded more shots on target than Josh King this campaign for Fulham.

With three goals scored from six appearances in all competitions, no Brentford player has been more efficient in front of goal than Kevin Schade. The German international is averaging 2.38 shots per 90, and he has landed this selection in four of his five starts. Brentford have been excellent in the final third this season, and they are unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions. 

Meanwhile, Villa have only won one of their opening five matches, one of which was against Spurs who currently sit rock bottom of the league standings. They have looked vulnerable defensively, and Schade will hope to capitalise on that at Villa Park.