English Premier
2009-12-15 - Manchester Utd vs Wolverhampton
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Football: England, Premier League
Tuesday, 15th December 2009 - Kickoff 20:00
Manchester U (2nd) Home : 6-1-1 16:8
Manchester United suffered a surprise home defeat against Aston Villa last Saturday, but it does seem unlikely that we will see United kept scoreless again.
Prior to Saturday's result, United had been on a won five of the last six games in all competitions, scoring 16 goals, and in the previous five home league games ManYoo had scored at least twice in every match.
There's little doubt that the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez, to Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively, has lessened the options avaiable to Alex Ferguson but still with Rooney, Owen and Berbatov there is a lot of experience in the front third of the pitch.
Manchester United Team News :
Manchester United are unlikely to risk midfielder Ryan Giggs, who was forced off against Aston Villa after suffering a slight hamstring problem.
Darren Fletcher is set to continue as a make-shift right-back.
Injured : Evans (calf), Fabio (groin), Ferdinand (calf), Hargreaves (knee), Macheda (hamstring), Neville (groin), O'Shea (thigh), Rafael (ankle), Van der Sar (knee)
Wolverhampton W (17th) Away : 2-2-4 8:16
Wolves have won two games in a row, I think that's the first time that Wanderers have managed that in the Premier League, but it's a huge ask to be sent into Old Trafford looking for a third win.
The 1-0 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane was a testament to a huge work-rate put up by Mick McCarthy's side, and I wonder if they're going to be able to repeat that effort just 3 days later.
Wolves were thrashed 4-0 on their visit to Stamford Bridge last month against Chelsea, and have conceded goals in six of those eight away games. That just looks a bit leaky.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Team News :
Wolves could be without Dave Edwards for up to 10 weeks after the midfielder picked up an ankle ligament injury against Tottenham on Saturday.
Edwards' absence could mean a recall for full-back Kevin Foley, who is set to be drafted in on the right wing.
Injured : Edwards, Keogh & Kightly (all ankle), Murray (knee), Zubar (thigh)
THe Betting Verdict
Manchester United have a lot of injuries, but the depth of the squad at Old Trafford is so strong that you do have to stop short of calling it a crisis for the home side ... although it must be acknowledged that the many changes have made United weaker.
Wolves are priced as big as 21.00 (20/1) for the win, and that's way too big - even my estimate of just 7% win chance suggests a fair price of 14.00 - so I can understand why visiting fans might want a small punt on it.
But that's not for me, instead I'll look at the HT/FT market, because I think that if/when United do get a goal then they'll go on to win the game.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester Utd 2-0 Wolverhampton
BEST BETTING TIP :
A bet on MAN UTD/ MAN UTD on the HT/FT market which is a stand out price of 1.62 at PaddyPower
