Alex Ferguson

The Club:
It was a fight in the end, but they owned the Premier League title once again last season. No matter what Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal could throw at them, it was not enough in the end. The Red Devils will start off the 2011/12 Premier League betting season as favourites to retain their title, and it may be a brave punter who goes against them. They have a title winning squad in place and little is going to change with it, other than it getting stronger. There are areas in which they can get stronger, but their truth strength lies at the top, with Sir Alex Ferguson, who keeps adapting and changing the playing field, so others cannot emulate or catch them. They have power and pace, which often is far too much for other teams to handle, and they of course scrap to the final whistle to dig themselves out of holes. This is the Manchester United which the other teams realistically dreaming of the title have to deal with, and the one which has to be stopped

Players/Manager:
All of the transfer talk surrounding Manchester United has been about Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder. It is still a will he – won’t he situation as so many mixed reports are coming in. Some are saying that he is going there, while Sir Alex Ferguson said that there was no serious offer from Manchester United from him. He would certainly be a huge addition to the squad if United do get him, just imagine him playing behind Wayne Rooney and defences trying to pick up both of them. Truthfully, if the Red Devils do get Sneijder, value in betting on them to win the Premier League title again will be hard to refuse. He can make a huge difference. While that saga rolls on anyway, United have secured a couple of signings. One being that of Ashley Young from Aston Villa. Young will now have to compete for a place down the flanks for his new side, but is a great move and should benefit England in the long term as well. If Young builds up a rapport with Rooney, that would be great. Manchester United also bolstered their defensive stock with Phil Jones coming in from Blackburn. That will add extra cover for the fragile Rio Ferdinand, especially with the departure of Wes Brown and John O’Shea to Sunderland. It will course also give Ferguson great options when it comes to rotating his squad, when looking to the future and dealing with fixture pile ups because of tournament participation. Manchester United have also landed secured Antonio Valencia to a new deal, but there does seem to be some speculation about the future of Dimitar Berbatov, who finally showed up to the party and showed how deadly he can be in front of goal last term. Still, for all his goals and carrying United without Rooney, he was still largely the forgotten man, and wouldn’t be surprised to see him heading out, especially if Sneijder comes in. United could well spend more, but you are not sure where. Midfield would be the likely place, as they do need cover in terms of a serious play maker, and a serious upgrade over Michael Carrick. But, all in all, Sir Alex Ferguson will be happy with his squad, the one which people largely wrote off last season. The experience of Ferguson is worth a good many points each season, especially against their title rivals. Things were so close last season, that he really was the one big difference in deciding who lifted the title.

Last Season: 1st
Well, Manchester United won the league, with a squad many thought would be too weak. They had a lot of troubles on the road, which nearly let Chelsea slip in through the back door, but when it comes to the big crunch matches, you always have to count on United. They will have been disappointed with being so immensely outclassed again the final of the Champions League by Barcelona, and they don’t look as if they are closing that gap, not without with a stronger midfield where someone can get their foot on the ball. But there were so many successes, with Javier Hernandez poaching brilliantly and Berbatov shining. The defence stood tall as well, so the backbone of the team is pretty strong. As for the squad, well, it is not the most developed in terms of depth, but good enough.

2011/12 Manchester United Premier League Betting Projection:
No matter what they do, who comes, who goes, Manchester United remain the team to beat. They were pushed close last season but that was down to their own failings in struggling to pick up wins away from home. Old Trafford though will remain the fortress that it is, and they are not going to drop many points there. You have to install them as one of the front runners, you cannot look past that. They are not going to give up their crown easily, and while they may have some kinks to work out in their squad, they are certainly the most adaptable of the title contenders. They have the fight that Chelsea and Arsenal seemed to lack last year, and their biggest challenge could come from Manchester City this time around. Hard not to take them as favourites to win the title, but it should be another closely ran things. We are not sure what Chelsea are going to produce, nor how the development of City is going to go. There is just something tried and tested about Manchester United and when you are looking to split hairs, you automatically lean towards Sir Alex Ferguson. He will bitterly want to get back to the final of the Champions League again this season. When he is going to retire, only he knows, but he will want another shot at European glory. He will have seen the power of Barcelona again and questioned how to adapt to try and get close to them. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but they are still a major European power, and back on the home front, they are the team by which standards have to be set.

Finishing Position: Title Contender

Premier League Winner Odds:
2/1 at William Hill

First Three Fixtures
August 14th: West Brom v Man Utd
August 22nd: Man Utd v Tottenham
August 28th: Man Utd v Arsenal

BACK TO 2010/11 PREMIER LEAGUE BETTING GUIDE
 

Premier League Outright Betting Preview

There is much to look forward to in the new season of the Barclays Premier League and Odds, Tips and Prices can be found below for predictions. With a weekend packed to the rafters of domestic football, we are ready go with a new installment of the Barclays Premier League season. Time to ramp up the online football betting with your online bookmaker and take a good punt on the outright winner market. After a topsy-turvy season last year in which Chelsea just about came out on top, where do the clubs stand this time around? There hasn’t been too much activity in the summer transfer market, except from Manchester City. The general consensus is that there is more likely to be a Big Five or Six instead of a Big Four as seen in previous years, with the gaps being closed at the top. Certainly last year, we saw more defeats dished out to serious title contenders than would have been imagined at the start of the season. Will that happen again with the emergence of Spurs and Manchester City who are looking stronger? How about Villa and Everton on the fringes of stepping up a level? Where will the Premier League title land this year, and who represents the best odds?

2010/11 Barclays Premier League Betting Predictions

1st) Manchester United – 9/4 at Bet365 (Last Year’s Finish: 2nd)

Looking at things, even before the Community Shield victory over rivals Chelsea, United look to be completely together. They had a good pre-season, being tested across North America, and they looked sharp at Wembley. Strengthening the offensive corps has been done, which could be the all important factor in finding goals from a source other than Wayne Rooney. Mexico striker Javier Hernandez could just be one of the biggest coups of the pre-season and we await to see how much he gets used. Will Ferguson stick with the lone striker? Will Dimitar Berbatov play a better role than he did last year, especially as Ferguson was surprising loathe to get rid of him in the transfer window. You can see flaws in the squads of other teams, but when you look over United, you may see a hairline crack, say in the middle of the park, but there is so much quality elsewhere that they can be papered over. They haven’t done a great deal in the summer transfer window, but they look to have done it just right. Perhaps they could have found a better quality centre half to pair up with stalwart Nemanja Vidic after Rio Ferdinand’s injury plagued season, but Ferguson trusts the fringe players like Wes Brown. Out of Chelsea, Arsenal and themselves, United probably have the weakest midfield when you put them head to head, but they have Alex Ferguson who has a deep squad. If their key players stay fit, then they make for a great bet to win the title. If they don’t then they still have enough in the tank to challenge strongly. Barclays Premier League Betting Tip for the Top, as I don’t see anyone really touching them for the title. They have the most complete and versatile squad amongst all of the challengers to challenge on all fronts.

2nd) Manchester City - 7/1 at Ladbrokes (Last Year’s Finish: 5th)

Going out on a limb and predicting that the spending will come good. There are always counter arguments against such big spending sprees and brining in lots of new faces. The main argument is that you are not necessarily buying a team, you are buying a team of superstars which sometimes doesn’t work. Barcelona and Real Madrid seem to have done pretty well by it, and closer to home, look at Chelsea. They are the biggest example of buying success in recent times. When Roman Abrahmovic came in and started throwing money around, it instantly changed the status of the club, making them contenders. You buy enough quality players and you will get results. Sometimes you may have to rely on the individual brilliance of someone like Tevez, or you look for good team players. There is a balance, and over time during the course of the season, Manchester City can only get better and better. Perhaps they don’t have the quality in centre of defence that they would like, but they do have without question, is a hugely talented squad. When you name players like Hart, Adebayor, Tevez, Robinho, Toure, Milner, Balotelli, David Silva and Jerome Boateng then you really can’t have that many problems. Another important factor to consider, is that come the January transfer window, if City feel that there is a hole which needs plugging, they can simply assess what has happened and go shopping again. That is the financial power they have and they should be able to shake up the old establishment of Chelsea, Arsenal and their old rivals Manchester United of course. Put it this way, would Liverpool be enviable of City’s squad? Yes. Would Spurs be enviable of City’s squad? Yes. With the exception of Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea, who wouldn’t be? I don’t think they have the right manager, but they have every chance of running their city rivals close for the title as the money spent means they have to be taken seriously sooner or later. The experience of United should just win out though over the season. The Manchester derbies are a mouth watering prospect this year and could be title deciders. The arrival of City on the scene is an interesting one, as there is a big contrast between the top four sides. You have the established order of Chelsea, the maturing young side of Arsenal, the mix of experience and youth at Manchester United, and Manchester City, a team picked ripe off a very expensive shopping list.

3rd) Chelsea – 7/4 at SkyBet (Last Year’s Finish: 1st)

Just get the feeling that they are maybe falling behind in the race for the Premier League title. Granted, United looked strong favourites at points through the season, and Chelsea dug deep and threw out some fantastic performances to take the league by a single point. If Wayne Rooney had stayed fit towards the end of the season, then it wouldn’t have happened, plain and simple. Chelsea are an aging side, and while boss Carlo Ancelotti has given them a new attacking feeling, there is simply not the benefit of youth in the side, which the likes of Arsenal and Man Utd can call upon. They will also not be as strong at the back now Carvalho has gone to Real Madrid, and John Terry doesn’t exude the same rock solid confidence as he once did. To put it bluntly, there were cracks shown last season in Chelsea’s armour and I don’t think enough has been done to fix them at this point. Certainly not at the back where they don’t look particularly great at all. In a fixture-heavy season, the likes of Lampard, Terry and co, could tire as it could take its toll, and I don’t think they have the fire power in reserve if Didier Drogba or Lampard goes missing for a large part of the season. They did finish top scorers last season, yes, but Anelka, Kalou and Malouda doesn’t exude a lot of confidence. One thing which could salvage them is the spending power of Abramovic if they need help come the January transfer window. At this point they need a quality centre half, a midfielder ready to take over from Lampard and a world class finisher. Not sure where Benayoun fits  into the picture, especially if they land Brazil’s Ramires. There look to be too many questions and a lot of pieces needed as opposed to be ready to hit the ground running, and I think they will be found out a little more this season than last.

4th) Arsenal – 7/1 at Ladbrokes (Last Year’s Finish: 3rd)

Really torn between putting them third or fourth as I do not think there will be much between them and Chelsea for different reasons. After enjoying a great season last year, I think Arsenal should strongly be able to improve their position. There is a lot to admire about Arsenal, whose main target will be to do a little better against Chelsea and Manchester United. Other than that, there is nothing much wrong with the side at all. They are packed with quality youngsters and they never seem to fail the club, nor the style in which they play. Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner will be key to their success, as will their main man in midfield, Cesc Fabregas. How well Arsenal do could all surround him, but if he is the dedicated professional which we have seen at the club in the previous seasons, then Arsenal will be ok. There is a feeling that he will transfer in the January transfer window with Barcelona coming back with the kind of offer that can’t be turned down. If he goes then it will naturally leave a gap, and it would be interesting to see how much it bothers Wenger. He has Jack Wilshire primed as a replacement and that could mean could news for England. There are creative players all over the pitch for Arsenal, and they still have the awesome powers of Andrei Arshavin. They perhaps don’t have the squad depth of Man Utd, Chelsea or Man City, but if they keep all of their players fit for the season, and hang on to Fabregas, then they could sneak into fourth, potentially third in a close race with London rivals Chelsea. You generally trust Wenger to come good and get things right, and they will still be the best footballing side in the Barclays Premier League.

5th) Tottenham - 40/1 at Bet365

Toss up between them and Liverpool, but I would back Harry Redknapp over Roy Hodgson any day of the week. Redknapp already has a squad at Tottenham which has clearly shown that it can work well after finishing fourth this season. I don’t think they will be able to repeat that because of the spending power of Manchester City during the summer transfer window. But Redknapp is the master at picking out a diamond in the rough in the transfer market, and he will know how to perfectly tweak his squad to keep them going forward. They have a big task living up to the reputation which they gave themselves last season, and hopefully they will qualify for the Champions League proper and it won’t be too much of a distraction in the Premier League for them. Will those extra games needing to be played peg them back in the Premier League? It’s a tough thing to play midweek European games and show up fresh on the weekend again, and that is perhaps the biggest lesson that they will have to learn to deal with this season. There are a lot of pluses in the Tottenham squad, from Jermain Defoe, Pavlyuchenko, Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Michael Dawson and more. The key factor is Redknapp and his mastering of tactics and personnel. He has said that he will let Peter Crouch go if he can find a replacement, and has been targeting Craig Bellamy from Manchester City. Why? Bellamy is the type of player who can come on and add that extra physical dimension to a side and is a seasoned professional. His type of player would likely get more chance of a run out than Peter Crouch over the season. They have the finishing touch of Defoe, the technical class of Pavyluchenko and Redknapp would perhaps like a bit more of a bite to complement the other forwards. A greatly balanced squad, perhaps a couple of world class quality pieces short of being a genuine title contender.

6th) Liverpool – 16/1 at BetFred (Last Season’s Finish: 7th)

Realistically I still can’t see where the improvement is going to come from for Liverpool. I believe they made the wrong choice of manager for starters, bringing in a man who has no experience of winning titles in the best leagues in Europe, and who is more known for salvaging teams from the brink of despair as opposed to being a front runner. Arguments against that will point to the great job he did at Fulham last year, taking them all the way to the final of the Europa League. True, but that did nothing for their Premier League placement, where they finished down in twelfth. True he had to work with limited resources at Fulham and did a good job of making them a good average middle of the table team, and that sums up Roy Hodgson perfectly I feel. He has a great managerial brain, that’s not in question, just not sure if it’s the right mentality of a Premier League title winner. As for players, they don’t have as good a squad as any of the teams above them. They are short of quality in defence for starters, and in quality up front. If Torres doesn’t return soon, or if he gets transferred then Liverpool will still be scrapping around outside of the top four. True, they have bought in Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic, Christian Poulson and young Rangers defender Danny Wilson, but that doesn’t scream of a title winning side. I like Joe Cole a lot, but after being snubbed by club and now country, it makes one question about how influential he will be. Same can be said for Jovanovic who was allowed to walk out free, and in this day and age of everyone wanting to make a buck, Liverpool have been picking up the scraps that other teams have discarded. It is to Hodgon’s credit that he got their signatures, but I’m sure he’d really like to go shopping. He has sent players on their way, but until they get two new defenders, and a striker they will struggle. They will win enough games to keep them in touch with the top four, as they have a good balance in midfield with Aquilani, Paulson, Gerrard, Cole and Jovanovic. I think they will need another season and some cash though before they can recover from Rafa Benitez running them into the ground.

2010 Community Shield Betting Odds

Chelsea to win: 13/8 at Stan James
Draw: 23/10 at BetFred
Manchester United to win: 15/8 at SkyBet

Premier League Champions and FA Cup winners Chelsea have named their Community Shield side already. Boss Carlo Ancelotti has said that that he will make only one change from the side which lost a pre-season friendly against Hamburg on Wednesday night. Ancelotti’s will field nearly as strong a side as possible, with the notable names missing from the starting eleven being goalkeeper Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho and Didier Drogba. Veteran Portuguese goalkeeper Henrique Hilario will continue in goal, while Didier Drogba will start from the bench as he recovers from a pre-season injury. Summer signing Yossi Benayoun, who came from Liverpool, is also out of the line-up because of injury. Chelsea have lost three pre-season friendly matches in a row now, and they have not had the ideal preparations ahead of the new season. What this will mean in terms of Community Shield betting, is that confidence will be with Manchester United, and may just confirm that Ancelotti needs to re-stock his squad with some younger legs. Chelsea are hunting Brazilian midfielder Ramires, who they hope will be with them before the end of the summer transfer window.

While the 2010 Community Shield is nothing more than a friendly showcase to raise the curtain on a new domestic season, it could have some influence in Premier League betting. In the past three season, the winners of the Community Shield have gone on to win the league title, with Chelsea being the last winners of the Community Shield, beating United on penalties last year. The last three Community Shield encounters have all ended in a penalty shoot out. With their poor form at the moment, will Chelsea be ready for Manchester United on Sunday? Defeats against Ajax, Frankfurt and Hamburg have not been a good indicator of things to come for Chelsea, and they need to step up their performance if they are ready to compete again on all front. They will certainly need to tighten things up at the back, and the loss of Petr Cech is a huge factor in the potential success of Chelsea. Midfielder Frank Lampard is glad to be back in the fold of his Chelsea team mates after a disappointing summer at South Africa 2010. The international stars on both sides who played in the World Cup, really have not had much of a rest over the summer, and the England fixture on Wednesday has been criticized for poor timing.

For Manchester United, they have injury concerns of their own, but are generally looking in much better shape than Chelsea at the moment. They have been rocked by the news that Michael Carrick will miss the start of the season after picking up an injury in a pre-season friendly. The prognosis is that he will miss a couple of weeks of action, and could seriously put his already under-threat England position on the line, as he will miss the international friendly against Hungary on Wednesday as Fabio Capello looks to reshape his squad. Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson has said that Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney will play 45 minutes each, probably giving new signing Javier Hernandez a full match as he gets used to his new team mates. The main concerns for Ferguson is over the long term fitness of Owen, and the much maligned Wembley turf could be a problem on his fragile hamstrings.

Community Shield First Goal scorer Odds:
Wayne Rooney: 4/1 at Bet365
Didier Drogba: 4/1 at Bet365
Nicolas Anelka: 7/1 at SkyBet
Frank Lampard: 7/1 at Blue Square
Michael Owen: 15/2 at Bet365
Javier Hernandez: 15/2 at Bet365

There will be no Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Obertan or Owen Hargreaves, nor midfielder Anderson who has been linked with a transfer to Werder Bremen as a lure to get Germany stat Mesut Ozil, but promising young midfielder Tom Cleverley will be staying at the club and is being groomed as a Paul Scholes replacement. Mexican Hernandez could really be the biggest coup that United have pulled off in some time, after looking very impressive during the pre-season. He has found the back of the net three times in United colours, plus he also netted against United for his old club Chivas Guadalajara when he played forty five minutes for each club in a recent friendly. United missed out on a record fourth consecutive Premier League title when they were edged out by Chelsea in a fascinating season last year. With both sides losing more matches than was ever expected in the league last year, there are hopes for another exciting battle at the top of the table, especially with Manchester City spending big.

Community Shield Method of Victory Odds
Chelsea in 90 minutes: 13/8 at Stan James
Man Utd in 90 minutes: 15/8 at Blue Square
Chelsea on Penalties: 5/1 at Bet365
Man Utd on Penalties: 5/1 at Totesport

But the 2010 Community Shield kicks it all off, and starts a busy week in football. After Sunday’s Community Shield, England play Hungary on Wednesday, before the Premier League starts on August 14th. Even though Chelsea haven’t hit full stride yet, clearly, Alex Ferguson has started his mental games by saying that Chelsea remain the biggest threat to them. Both managers have concerns over the full fitness and energy levels of the World Cup players, and Ferguson is more likely to keep players back a little bit in preparation for the new season. Ancelotti has lain down the gauntlet by naming as close to his strongest side as he can, but United may mix it up a little bit more. Chelsea don’t look a happy or settled side at the moment, while United have been gaining momentum in their pre season friendly matches. That should swing the Community Shield odds towards the northern club, but at most online bookmakers you will still see that Chelsea are favourites to win the match. United could just have that extra spring in their step, especially if Ferguson blends in some of their keen  youngsters. For both of England’s top sides, it will be another step towards full fitness and form ahead of the new Premier League season, but looking at things at the moment, United may just have the early edge on the new season.

Chelsea: Hilario, Ivanovic, Terry, Ferreira, Cole, Essien, Lampard, Mikel, Kalou, Anelka, Malouda.

Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger will probably be cursing John Terry right now. The England captain, who has seemed to have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past couple of days, popped up with a late winner for Chelsea against Burnley in Saturday’s late kick off. Despite being the better team, Chelsea were made to work for their victory, after Burnley pounced on their only clear cut chance of the game to cancel out an opening goal by Nicolas Anelka. The 2-1 victory for Chelsea has temporarily given them a four point lead over second placed Manchester United, and a 5 points lead over Arsenal. After the Arsenal v Manchester United match on Sunday, Chelsea will still retain a game in hand over both of their nearest rivals.

Arsene Wenger is confident his side can do better than in their last showing against United. Arsenal lost 2-1 at Old Trafford at the end of August, and somewhat against the odds, they have clawed their way into a title challenge. The success of Arsenal this season has apparently surprised boss Arsene Wenger a bit too, as they have been very unlucky with the amount of injuries they have had. They had a slowish start to the season, but have since found themselves on a nice run of form in the league, ever since being outclassed by Chelsea in a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates back at the end of November. Arsene Wenger has had to cope without star striker Robin Van Persie for a large chunk of the season, as he was struck down while on International duty, and in an extremely rich vein of form.

Eduardo is also out injured, which means that Nicklas Bendtner could get a start, and he himself is only just making his way back to full duty after being out injured for a over three months. Wenger suffered another blow last week, when steady centre half Thomas Vermaelen was feared to have fractured his leg, but scans revealed that the damage was not anywhere near as bad as first assumed. Still the defender will miss the big game on Sunday. One boost in personnel that Wenger has received, is that he has gotten players back from the African Cup of Nations, meaning that Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue should both be ready to play.

United have not been without their problems at the back, being unable to field their strongest back four for most of the season. They will have to wait a little bit longer again after Rio Ferdinand got himself a four match ban on his return to action after a long lay-off, after striking out at a Hull player in United’s 4-0 league victory. Although they are doing a lot better than when they had to put the likes of Darren Fletcher in at full back to fill a hole, there is now only John O’Shea and Ferdinand missing. Nemanja Vidic, who seems to have spent more time in the treatment room than on the pitch this season, should be fit enough to replace Ferdinand. This has been described as the biggest game of United’s season so far, by boss Ferguson.

This is one of the great rivalries of the Premier, and the start of a crucial run for Arsenal’s ambitions. They head to Stamford Bridge the following Sunday to take on London rivals Chelsea, in what could be a make or break couple of games for them. Wenger has assured the fans that Arsenal can beat Manchester United if they can play to their full potential. As so often proved in the past, Arsenal rely a lot on team spirit and cohesion to get them through, in contrast to United who solely rely on the goals of England’s Wayne Rooney to make an impact. Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti summed things up by saying Manchester United would have trouble mounting a title challenge if Rooney was not in the team.

It’s hard to refute that, as Rooney looks to be in the form of his life, having scored 19 of United’s 53 league goals this season. Such is the gulf of Rooney’s importance, that Berbatov is their next highest scorer with just 7, and then Valencia 5. Clearly Rooney is Ferguson’s get out of jail free card, time and time again. United need him and England need him. With United not being nearly as dominant and bursting with class as they have been in previous years, there is a lot of pressure on Rooney to keep on performing. But that also means that if the Arsenal defence, which could include Sol Campbell can mark him out of the game, then United’s path to goal will become so much harder.

United do have the upper hand in recent games against the Gunners, winning three of the last four encounters, but the Red Devils have yet to beat Arsenal in the league at the Emirates since they moved in. Despite their troubles up front, Arsenal remain the league’s top scorers and their current form has seen them go 10 matches unbeaten in the league, including wins over Manchester City and Liverpool.

BETTING STATS LEAGUE ONLY

Last 5 Head to Head
Man Utd 2, Arsenal 1
Man Utd 0, Arsenal 0
Arsenal 2, Man Utd 1
Man Utd 2, Arsenal 1
Arsenal 2, Man Utd 2

Last 5 Match Goals
Arsenal – 12 For, 5 Against
Man Utd – 16 For, 2 Against

Last 10 Form
Arsenal – W7, D3, L0
Man Utd – W7, D1, L2

Win Percentage
Arsenal have an 81.8 win percentage at home
Man Utd have a 54.5 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Arsenal to win: 8/5 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Manchester United to win: 15/8 at SkyBet

Stamford Bridge
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Kick-off: 4pm

The Premier League’s top two go head to head on Sunday at Stamford Bridge, when Manchester United hit the capital. This is the biggest match of the season so far, with Chelsea enjoying a two point advantage over their northern rivals at the top of the league. Both teams go into the important clash on the back of drawn games midweek in the Champions League. Chelsea were denied a late away victory by Atlético Madrid, while Manchester United had to fight their way back from 3-1 down against CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford. Both sides will be looking to pick themselves back up from that, and press home an advantage in the race for the Premier League.

A win for the home side will send them five points clear, the best advantage they will have had all season. Manchester United need a win to keep them in touch with the top, as Arsenal are breathing down their neck. The Gunners are just three points behind United with a game in hand. This could be a huge weekend at the top of the league, with Arsenal in clinical form and travelling to Wolves for their game on Saturday. Chelsea recently had some good news that their transfer ban has been suspended, pending a final decision on the whole case. Chelsea were cited for wrong-doing in the signing of Gael Kakuta from Lens, which led to FIFA slapping their wrist, by not being able to sign any new players until 2011. But with the suspension of the sentence, it leaves the January transfer window open for Ancelotti. Despite rumours, The Italian, who Alex Ferguson has shown some admiration and respect for ahead of Sunday’s game, has stated that they are not going to rush into the market.

Chelsea’s title ambitions in both Europe and the Premier League could all rely on what happens there. Ancelotti has stated that the transfer ban would not affect them too much, as he was happy with his squad, but there are considerations to take into effect. Chelsea will be without Drogba, Essien, Kalou and Mikel for the best part of January, because of the African Nations cup. That is the price to pay for having Africa’s elite playing for you, and the club will be wary of that, and the consequences of the fact that the ban could still stand as punishment when a final decision is made. This could still be their last chance to sign players for some time, and the Chelsea team is not exactly a young one.

It is a little surprising that Alex Ferguson never really cashed in on the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. He has gone the Arsenal route of trying younger players such as Anderson and Nani in his place, as well as picking up Valencia and Michael Owen. But with all the wealth and status that the club has, they could attract some of the biggest names across Europe to bolster their squad. Another world class striker to partner Rooney, a world class creative midfielder, and a steadying influence at the back would make all the world of difference to the Old Trafford side, who haven’t not looked to be firing on all cylinders this season. They are trailing both Arsenal and Chelsea in the number of goals for an against, which is an unusual sight. It is hard to argue that the spend-thrift Scot Ferguson doesn’t know what he is doing, but they seem content to take on Chelsea’s stars by making the best of what they have. Not that is too shabby or anything, but perhaps they lack an edge that they had, which is why Chelsea are favourites to take the Premier League – 6/5 at Totesport.

TALE OF THE TAPE:
Managers. Well, there’s hardly anyone who can come close the amount of achievement that Alex Ferguson has under his belt. Eleven Premier League titles, five FA Cups and the Champions League twice, to name but a few. Twenty three years at the helm of the Old Trafford team, has seen the great man earn respect all across the world for his style of management. His opponent Carlo Ancelotti is no slouch either though, having won the Champions League twice with AC Milan, as well as the Serie A title. His first English silverware came at the 2009 Charity Shield. Both good men, but Ferguson wins out every time.
Manchester United win Managerial 1-0

Goalkeepers:
Chelsea keeper Petr Cech is widely regarded as being one of the best keepers in the world. Watching him keep net over the years for Chelsea, it is easy to see why. The big man makes a huge difference when he is playing, and he is the pivotal linking contributor to the amount of Chelsea’s clean sheets over the seasons he has been at the club. In the opposite net, Edwin Van der Saar still keeps on performing, but he had a bit of a howler in the midweek match against CSKA Moscow. The veteran perhaps is being more exposed this season, with United’s defence not being what it was.
Chelsea win goalkeeping 1-0

Defence:
This is where the big difference could be on the day. Chelsea clearly have the edge in this department, especially at home. The Blues defence have only conceded one home goal, where in contrast, United have let in seven. That’s a big difference in terms of easy pressure from your forwards. With England Internationals John Terry and Ashley Cole at the heart of it, the Chelsea defence has the steadying influence of Ricardo Carvalho. The poor form of Rio Ferdinand has been much publicised throughout the entire season so far. He has been suffering from a niggling injury, but he has not looked anywhere near his best. The calf injury has kept him out of recent games, and he will be missing again from the line-up at Stamford Bridge, as well as from the England team which take on Brazil in a friendly on November 14th.  United fielded John O’Shea, Evra, Johnny Evans and Wes Brown as their back four in their 2-0 win over Blackburn last weekend. The gaping holes that Moscow exposed in midweek will be cause for concern for Ferguson, especially trying to work out how to stop Didier Drogba from dominating things. Drogba is in some sparkling form and will be hard to stop, and Ferguson will no doubt still be reeling from the run-around which a half fit Fernando Torres gave his defence in the 2-0 loss to Liverpool. Torres and Drogba are probably the best two strikers in the Premier League at the moment, and United have to find a way to deal with Drogba, better than they did against Torres.
Chelsea win defence 2-0

Midfield:
Chelsea’s midfield reads like a dream shopping list of world class footballing names from across the world. Michael Essien has to be considered as one of the most accomplished midfielders in the world. His name often goes understated amongst the likes of Frank Lampard, Deco and Michael Ballack, but he is just as, if not more important than the rest of them. He has the complete game in his locker, the defensive duties, poise and time on the ball to pick off passes, as well as possessing a lethal shot. Reminiscent of Chelsea favourite Claude Makalele, the type of player who is always there, goes about his business quietly and yet is missed immensely when they aren’t there. He is the fulcrum of the midfield, which allows Lampard, Deco and Ballack to go about their creative business. With Florent Malouda and the return of Joe Cole to the ranks, Chelsea have a very strong, and world class midfield. Manchester United have always been built around a strong midfield, but it is fair to say that it is not quite as strong as it has been in past years. Ryan Giggs is still missing through injury, as is Owen Hargreaves, which may not be a bad thing. They did get the industrious Darren Fletcher back from injury recently, but in the last league fixture, Ferguson went with Anderson, Valencia, Carrick and Nani, who’s play needs a lot of work if he’s ever going to really fill fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo’s boots. On paper, Chelsea have all the strength in the midfield, because of the fine balance they have there.
Chelsea win midfield 2-1

Forwards:
Wayne Rooney is Wayne Rooney, and the presence of the England international was perfectly highlighted in midweek, where he came off the bench and gave one of his irrepressible performances to spark some forward life into his team. He is the edge that Manchester United need fully fit all of the time. Their back up forwards are Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov, which, when you look around Europe at the best teams from the leagues, probably fall along way short of class and quality. Then there is Didier Drogba, Chelsea’s Wayne Rooney. Drogba makes such a phenomenal difference to Chelsea, with his size and brute force, combined with surprising moments of footwork brilliance. He has netted on each of his last six appearances for Chelsea, and since the desperate of big Phil Scolari, Drogba has found a new lease of life. He is on a current streak of having scored 36 times in 42 games since a two month goal drought under the failed Scolari experiment at the Bridge. He backed up by Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou, neither of which are as good as Drogba, but Anelka looks sharp and creates a lot of problems of his own.
Chelsea win Forwads 2-1

Injuries:
Chelsea are only missing one name, and that is full back Jose Bosingwa, while Manchester United’s absentee list is a little longer. They will be without Rio Ferdinand, with still doubts hanging over defensive partner Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov. Gary Neville is also out because he is serving a suspension.

History:
United have not won at Stamford Bridge since 2002, which spans a run of eight games at Stamford Bridge which have ended in four wins for the Blues. In overall Premier League meetings, both teams have won 10 games each, with fourteen ending in drawn games. Drogba is top scorer for Chelsea with 9 league goals, while Wayne Rooney has netted himself 7 in the league.

Chelsea to win: 11/10 at Ladbrokes
Draw: 23/10  at Coral
Manchester United to win: 3/1 at Bet365

Betting Advice. Chelsea on paper should be stronger, especially being at the fortress that is Stamford Bridge. A struggling-for-form Liverpool exposed some of Manchester United’s frailties, as did CSKA Moscow in the week. With Drogba on fire, and Lampard getting back into the scoring groove, Chelsea should be able to open up a five point gap at the top of the Premier League.
Chelsea to win 2-1: 17/2 at SkyBet
Didier Drogba anytime scorer: 9/5 at Paddy Power

This one is possibly the most interesting fixture in the group. Wolfsburg were surprise winners of the Bundesliga, and everyone has been keen to see exactly what kind of force they could bring to the Champions League. Their 3-1 home win over CSKA Moscow will have made the rest of the group sit up and take notice, including Reds boss, Alex Ferguson. This game has all the potential surrounding it, to turn out to be a real cup tie atmosphere. It could be a game full of attacking promise, and United striker Wayne Rooney makes his 50th appearance for the Red Devils in the Champions League.

The Bundesliga is renowned for being one of the most ruthless, yet most passionate leagues across Europe. That is something which drives the domestic German game on, and makes for a very popular spectacle across the nation. The big crowds which Old Trafford draws in, are the kind of numbers which German teams play in front of week in, week out, so shouldn’t be something that phases Wolfsburg. Germany has a long history of producing good European teams who are always ready for a good battle, come the European fixtures. They are always a threat in the Champions league, and although being the away side in this Match Day Two fixture, Wolfsburg will probably relish the atmosphere.

In Grafite and Džeko, they possibly have one of the most lethal, most potent strike forces not only in Germany, but in Europe. They are reportedly, THAT good. Their figures of having scored 71 goals between the two of them throughout the entirety of last season, is something which clearly speaks for itself. They have scored 6 times between them in their 7 matches this season, and it was Grafite who bagged a hat trick in their debut victory over Moscow. With that kind of strike power, you could pretty much travel anywhere and cause a threat. This is something that Ferguson will have to prime the United defence for. Wolfsburg also have Obafemi Martins waiting in the wings to join the attack.

There is of course much talk about the fact that United are in a post Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez period, but their form in the domestic league hasn’t shown any sign of suffering. They moved to the top of the Premier League and show no sign of letting up. This is what Manchester United do, even despite losing top quality players, they simply roll relentlessly on, and a lot of times, bring the very best out of what may be deemed as average looking players. With Wayne Rooney leading the front line, they should have plenty of goals in them, and old stalwarts like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs keep popping up with those all important goals. The Reds have netted 16 times in their last five domestic matches, scoring the bulk of their goals in the second half.

But will United as a unit, have the defensive capabilities to cope with two of Europe’s hottest strikers? United had to work extremely hard in their opening 1-0 away win against Besiktas, and Wolfsburg could pose a big threat if they can get their noses in front. United sometimes take a while to get going, and hitting them early may be the German side’s best form of defence. However, despite their surprise title last year, Wolfsburg have won just four and lost three of this years opening fixtures of the Bundesliga. But this is the Champions League, in one of the biggest arena’s in Europe, and should be a new challenge which they will be relishing. The visitors will be used to the crowd, will be used to the big game scenario, and have two red hot strikers waiting to shoot them to victory.

Manchester United to win: 7/19 at Coral
Draw: 4/1 at SkyBet
Wolfsburg to win: 10/1 at Ladbrokes

Betting Advice: There is rarely anyone more prepared for big matches than United boss Alex Ferguson, and you always have to fancy United at home. However, this looks like a classic, and has the feeling that both teams will be going for the jugular, and there should be goals. With Brazilian Grafite leading the line, if the United defence doesn’t stand tall, and if back up keeper Ben Foster continues to be inconsistent, then it could be the writing on the wall for them. But never count out United down and out at Old Trafford. Could be the game of the night.  Man Utd to win 2-1 is 8/1 at Victor Chandler.

The top four spots in the Premier League will be hotly contested this weekend, as first plays fourth, and second plays third. Sunday is the day which will see a lot of hot action happening at the top of the league, as two of the most prominent derby matches of the season take place. While it is early days in the new season, this is a marvellous chance to gain some points over closest rivals, as well as gain the upper hand in confidence and mind games. Up north there is the much anticipated Manchester derby, while the capital brings together Chelsea and Spurs. All four teams occupy the top four spots in the league, with Chelsea leading the way with maximum points, over Man Utd, City and then Spurs who all have 12 points.

Manchester United v Manchester City
City were one of the biggest spenders in the Premier League during the summer, splashing out over £200 million on players after an injection of cash after being taken over by a group headed by Sheikh Mansour. Gareth Barry, Robinho, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor are among some of the big names to head into City, and it appears that money can buy some degree of success as they are unbeaten this season, emphatically toppling Arsenal 4-2 in their most league match. City’s top scorer Adebayor will be missing from the line-up as he was slapped on the wrists with a three match ban after being charged with stamping on ex-team-mate Robin Van Persie during the game. He also faces a misconduct charge for running the entire length of the pitch to celebrate his goal right in front of the Arsenal supporters. Adebayor will be sorely missed by City as they head over to Old Trafford, as the Togo international is their top scorer with four goals this season.

Carlos Tevez will head back to his albeit briefly occupied stomping ground, although he is an injury doubt. After counting out moving to Liverpool because of not wanting to be seen as a traitor by the Old Trafford faithful, he subsequently hopped right across the city to United’s fiercest rivals. He will not be expecting any kind of warm reception at any point in his career. Reds boss Alex Ferguson fired up his usual war of words against anyone threatening his regime at the top of the Premier League, by stating that he couldn’t care whether or not Tevez would actually play, because City will be without their best player in Adebayor. The Reds only real selection problem will come from missing Paul Scholes through suspension.

History will likely favour the Red Devils, as City have only managed one win against them at Old Trafford since the conception of the Premier League. This time around it could be a lot different however, as the cash has definitely made their City rivals a lot stronger than they have been in the past, and City manager Mark Hughes is sure that the Reds are not quite the force that they were. Hughes has been pressing home the fact that United are simply not the same without Cristiano Ronaldo and Tevez, and that Ferguson has missed a trick by not finding suitable replacements for them. There clearly is no love lost between Hughes and Ferguson, who worked side by side at Old Trafford for so many years. It all adds to the spice of this big game, and it will be a good test to see just how far City’s investments have come.

Whoever steps onto the field on Sunday will surely be in for a battle. If nothing else, it will be passionate with a wide range of international stars on show. Ferguson will not be happy about the young pretender to his crown, certainly not with them being from so close to home. Smart money will be going on United at home, as they will find a way to win the big games, just as they did against an in-form Arsenal earlier in the season.

Manchester United to Win - 8/13 at Totesport
Draw – 3/1 at Bet365
Manchester City to Win – 5/1 at BlueSquare

Betting Tips: So far this season, City have led all of their games 1-0 at half time. That is probably a good streak to jump on.
City to lead 1-0 at half-time – 11/4 at SkyBet

One other streak going strongly at the moment is Rooney to score. He has netted in each of his last five league games, so taking him as an anytime scorer should be a decent bet.
Rooney to score anytime – 13/10 at Expekt

Taking a United win should be where you money lies. Ferguson cannily rested a few players for a tough European night away on Wednesday, and City may find it hard to attack with the players they have missing.