hotspur

  • Friday, June 19, 2020

Las Vegas - Jumping back from Madrid to North London for a look at Tottenham vs. Manchester United. With no fans in the stands, the visitors from Manchester are the favorite at +$140 while the hosts are +$190.

Just a quick personal note. Mrs. Ecks & Bacon is and has been a Tottenham supporter for years, and since my Arsenal team is their main rival, I have come to DETEST the Hotspurs. You're probably wondering why Hotspurs? They were named after Sir Henry Percy, known as Harry Hotspur. He was given the nickname Hotspur because he dug in his spurs to make his horse go faster as he charged in battles. At least, that's the rumor. Wiki tells me that Harry helped get rid of King Richard II in favor of King Henry IV. Sadly, the Percys took up arms against the new King, and Hotspur was killed in the Battle of Shrewsbury. Henry IV wept when he saw the body of his friend. The next part of the story is GRUESOME, so not gonna go there, but if you're interested, would recommend Shakespeare's "Henry IV, parts 1 and 2."

Back to the pitch where Man U had been on a sweet roll before the lockdown. The Red Devils are sitting in the 5th slot in the Premier League standings, with 45 points, just three behind Chelsea for a spot in the UEFA Champions League. They have won 12, lost 8 and posted 8 draws. United has hit the net 44 times and allowed 30 for a solid +14 goal differential. The Spurs are sitting on 41 points, with 11 wins, 10 losses and 8 draws. Tottenham has scored 47 goals and allowed 40 for a +7 goal differential.

However, there will be MASSIVE changes to both sides as the EPL ramps back up. The Spurs get super striker Harry Kane back as well as Son Heung-min, their top two scorers. But they'll be without Dele Alli who has been given a one-match ban for making a racially insensitive joke about the coronavirus. The visitors get Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba back after long injury lay-offs.

The Red Devils have not lost in their last 11 matches, while the Spurs have not had a W in the last six outings. Tough call since it's the first game back for both teams, so we'll drop half a Benjamin on the draw, wager $50 to win back $120. Also tickle the 'Double Result' prop and take the choice, 'tied at halftime & and tied after 90 minutes' at 4/1. Another half a Benj, $50 to win back $200.

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