Man Utd vs Aston Villa Carling Cup Final Betting

Carling Cup Betting will hit its peak on Sunday. Manchester United will be looking to hold on to their Carling Cup, with victory over Aston Villa on Sunday. By that time, United will know where they stand in the race for the Premier League title as well, with Chelsea playing on Saturday, but all attention will be on their Wembley date against Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa. Villa are enjoying a good season and are firmly lodged in the race for fourth spot in the Premier League. A lot of their good work can be attributed to the sound defensive system which O’Neill has instilled at the club, and they go into Sunday’s showdown with the best defensive record in the Premier League.

It was their defence which strolled into Old Trafford earlier in the season, to hold out for a surprise 1-0 win against the Red Devil’s, which sort of set a benchmark for what the Midlands side wanted to achieve this season. They have, slowly but surely, developed their own identity in style, personnel and have played their way into the upper tier of the Premier League. While they may take a more direct route to goal than Manchester United, that is simply playing to their strengths, and they do look a very good, organised and solid team. They certainly have pace up front in England hopeful Gabriel Agbonlahor, but they haven’t been prolific in front of goal, compared to the teams in the standings around them.

It is quite a strong England connection from Agbonlahor, with Emile Heskey, Ashley Young, Stephen Warnock, Stuart Downing and bright spark of the season, James Milner. As well as the pace of Agbonlahor, they have power in the air, but their route to goal has been a bit shy of other competitors. That hasn’t stopped their progress upwards though, as their defence has given them a great platform to build upon. The mainstay of this defence has been Richard Dunne and James Collins, who will need to police Rooney again. This allows them to soak  up a lot of pressure against teams, as well as conceding possession, because they are capable of winning matches by the odd goal. This is contrast to Manchester United, who drive towards goal with fluency, with England striker Wayne Rooney usually on the end of all the attacking moves.

Rooney, who can usually play just as well isolated, as well as part of a duo, is the main threat for Manchester United, and it goes without saying that the Villa defence will have to shepherd him well. Villa do not have many worries in terms of injuries and selection, with their more illustrious opponents having the lions share of that. United boss Alex Ferguson has to make do again without Rio Ferdinand and John O’Shea at the back again, as well as the experience which Ryan Giggs brings to the team. Owen Hargreaves is still absent, and midfielder Anderson injured himself against West Ham, and winger Nani will be missing through suspension.

Villa have had the better of the encounters between the two sides this season, but a lot could come down to big match experience. United have plenty of that, although they haven’t won a final at the new Wembley Stadium without needing penalties to do so, so that could factor in your betting strategies. It looks as if it will be a tight game on Sunday, and a draw is more than possible. United will start as strong favourites, even though they have had some woeful blips in from this season, which seem to come out of the blue. Aston Villa have gotten to the final, largely on the back of the reserve team, but the first team will be out in force on Sunday, including goalie Brad Friedel who has yet to play in the competition so far this season. Edwin van der Saar, who has just extended his contract at United, should get the starting nod for the Red Devils.

United also ran largely with their underlings through the competition, before the main players stepped into the fray to see off rivals Manchester City in the semi finals. This is the first piece of silverware on offer for the new season, and it’s no surprise that United are participating in it. They put the pressure back on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League with a midweek win over West Ham, after Ferguson tinkered greatly with his starting eleven. Now they will be looking to add what hopefully for United fans, will be the first silverware of another successful season. The key factor could be how well the Villa centre halves deal with a certain Mr Rooney, and rely on the pace that they have to catch United on the counter. It could be a big battle in the middle of the park for supremacy, as both teams have the capability to flood it.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Aston Villa 1, Man Utd 1
Man Utd 0, Aston Villa 1
Man Utd 3, Aston Villa 2
Aston Villa 0, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 4, Aston Villa 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Man Utd: 13 For, 6 Against
Aston Villa: 11 For, 6 Against

Last 10 Form
Man Utd: W7, D1, L2
Aston Villa: W5, D5, L0

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Yes, Manchester United will go into the betting as favourite, and rightly so. This should be a close game, with Aston Villa being such a tight unit, and therefore, any Asian Handicap bet which has Villa in the plus at a good price, should seriously be considered. Are United two goals better than Villa? Can Villa go better than holding out for a draw for long periods? These are questions worth asking, and both which point to a Villa plus.
Aston Villa +1 Asian Handicap: 4/5 at Victor Chandler