Manchester United

Chelsea v Manchester United betting is being well covered by highly rated online bookmaker Paddy Power. The matches between the Blues and the Red Devils are usually fiercely contested, and not without their controversy, and so Paddy Power have launched a Money Back Special promotion for the match. If there is a penalty scored in the match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. That is great coverage from the betting insurance to take, and means that you can go into the First Goalscorer market for example where Wayne Rooney is 6/1 favourite, or the Correct Score Market where a 1-0 home win is priced at 7/1, and take them with the Money Back Special insurance. Remember, the promotion only kicks in if a penalty is scored (which United did twice in their last match!). Online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50, with a free bet for you to enjoy!

Chelsea v Manchester United betting will no doubt throw up its thrills and spills from Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Chelsea’s captain John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, but he remains club captain, but he won’t be putting in an appearance on Sunday in the mach, because of a knee injury. That means Gary Cahill will probably make his debut in this tough match, and the Chelsea back line has been disrupted even further with Ashley Cole out suspended. This is not really a title deciding match here, with Chelsea sitting a massive twelve points back of joint leaders Manchester United, so with a win, there will still be a huge nine point deficit which is not likely to be overcome. Chelsea’s form has been patchy at best this season, and that trend still continued, with five drawn league matches out of their last eight. Chelsea rescued an injury time point away at Swansea during midweek, thanks to the Swans scoring an own goal. That was Chelsea’s second draw in a row, following a 0-0 draw at Norwich prior to that. So the old firepower is not there as an attacking force from Chelsea, who are missing Didier Drogba (who is at the Africa Cup of Nations) and Drogba was the last Chelsea forward to score, back on December 31st, from the penalty spot. The goals have dried up from Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres is still struggling to find the back of the net as well, so Chelsea look short of being a complete, title contending team. With rumours that Jose Mourinho could be leaving Real Madrid, Blues boss Andre Villas Boas may rightly be feeling the pressure at the club. Despite all their troubles, they are up in fourth place and need to keep picking up points to ensure that they get another crack at the Champions League next season. Chelsea’s home form hasn’t been terrible this season, winning seven, drawing one and losing three of their eleven fixtures at the Bridge. But they are just lacking the incisive ruthlessness in front of goal to go on and win games convincingly. Chelsea have only scored more than one goal in just one of their last eight Premier League matches. At home, Chelsea have scored a total of 24 goals, but have conceded sixteen, which is pretty high for them. Chelsea were always about a tight defence, but they do concede quite a bit. 81% of Chelsea’s home matches have ended over 2.5 goals, so there should be goals in Sunday’s big Chelsea v Manchester United betting fixture. Frank Lampard will probably get recalled to the starting eleven, as he is joint top scorer for the club with nine goals alongside Daniel Sturridge. They may be out of the title race, but can the Blues still have a big say in where the title goes this season? A win over Man Utd would also do their confidence a world of good, after being rolled over by the Red Devils three times last season, and once again already this season.

Don’t forget the Paddy Power Money Back Special for Chelsea v Man Utd betting. Lost stake refunds will be paid out on First/Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets placed on the match, if there is a penalty scored in the game!

United picked up a comfortable 3-1 home win over Chelsea back in September, with all goals coming in the first half. Chelsea’s Fernando Torres was on the score sheet that day, but the match will be remembered better for the Spaniards glaring open goal miss, which would have given Chelsea some kind of life line. Manchester United had a profitable week in the Premier League, picking up a 2-0 home win over Stoke at Old Trafford, courtesy of two converted penalty kicks, one from Javier Hernandez and one from Dimitar Berbatov. That has left United with a run of three straight wins in the Premier League now, and they have clawed back the lead that Manchester City had over them in the title race. United go into the weekend’s matches level on points at the top of the table with City, so this is another big fixture in which United need to perform. Stamford Bridge hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for United in recent times, as they haven’t won there in their last nine Premier League matches. It seems to be all big games for United at the moment, beating Man City in the FA Cup, squeezing past Arsenal in the Premier League and then losing to Liverpool in the FA Cup. What keeps United going is their tenacity in tough situations though, and they are the Premier League’s best away team this season. They have suffered just one defeat on the road this year, a trip to Newcastle at the start of the season, and their mean defence has given up just seven goals on the road. There have been question marks over United’s defence, which, granted has looked pretty shaky and inconsistent at times, but more often than not they still manage to get the job done. Can United add to their eight wins on the road this season? They should take a pretty fit side to Stamford Bridge with them, with Nani, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young all having been passed fit. David de Gea though gets the start in goal, as the young Spaniard gets more and more criticism over his performances, as Anders Lindegaard is on the sidelines through injury.

Chelsea v Manchester United Betting Odds
Chelsea to win: 7/4 at Bet Victor
Draw: 23/10 at Totesport
Man Utd to win: 15/8 at SkyBet

Manchester United v Stoke betting will see the Red Devils trying to keep up the pressure on leaders Man City in the Premier League by not falling further behind. United need to pick up the pieces of seeing yet more silverware slip through their fingers as they crashed out of the FA Cup fourth round against Liverpool on the weekend. Now all that is left for Sir Alex Ferguson is the defence of the Premier League title and the Europa League, which probably won’t draw too great of an interest from the club. So, going into Tuesday’s round of matches trailing leaders Man City by three points, United will look to bank on their usually reliable home form for previous points. After the home slip up against struggling Blackburn at the end of December, United knocked out a win against Bolton at Old Trafford in mid January, restoring a bit of order there. Despite losing back to back games, as United lost at Newcastle following the Blackburn defeat in the league, they are still well in touch for the top of the pile. Following those two reverses, United hit back with the Bolton win and then turned in a late winner against Arsenal at the Emirates to score an important three points there in their previous league match. Danny Welbeck’s late goal there was a crucial one to keep them on the tails of Manchester City, especially now as the injury list is really growing at Old Trafford. Nani will be sitting out the match against Stoke, while Wayne Rooney and youngster Phil Jones are doubts to make the match. It hasn’t been a period of total convincing play from United of late, although they dominated possession and the game against Liverpool, again it was big lapses in defence, which is lacking the control of Nemanja Vidic, which let them down. The centre half pairing is where United are struggling at the moment, and they can be got at, and Stoke could just have the right tools to undo the United back line again and put pressure on the under fire David de Gea in the United goal. United have conceded seven goals in their last four Premier League matches, so the openings are there. Rio Ferdinand looks set to drop back into the starting line up for this one. If United drop points and City pull out a six point lead, recovery will be tough.

Manchester United v Stoke betting will probably lean towards the home side, but Stoke are a team in decent shape at the moment. After a sticky patch through October and November last year, to his credit, Tony Pulis has gotten Stoke back doing what they do best. Battling hard physically and being a tough side to beat. They wins have dried up a little bit, with just one in their last six, but there have been three drawn matches in there as well. What Stoke can throw at United is their big strong aerial presence in the box, which could very well unsettle a very unsettled United back line. That will be Stoke’s best offence but the away goals have struggled to come for Stoke on the road this year, scoring just eight so far. They are actually in pretty decent away from, winning three, drawing one and losing one of their last five away match in the Premier League, so they will be hoping for at least a point at Old Trafford. The trouble is, they have not got a great record at Old Trafford, as the Potters have not won there since way back in the mid seventies. Stoke should give a good battle, and they are still chugging along in the FA Cup and in the Europa League as well, but that is a lot of games having been played and they need an extra spark. Matthew Ethertington may miss the match, and that will be a big blow for Stoke getting forward. But they have the aerial power of Peter Crouch to aim for and he should be able to earn Stoke some spoils in the box against the United back line. If Stoke were in better winning form, instead of drawing matches, then this may be predicted as being a lot closer. It should be a tough, physical close encounter as it is, and after the long battle at Anfield against Liverpool in the FA Cup and coming up empty handed, there could be a window of opportunity for Stoke here. A point would be a mighty big reward for the Potters.

Manchester United v Stoke betting odds
Man Utd to win: 3/10 at Bet365
Draw: 9/2 at SkyBet
Stoke: 12/1 at Stan James

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Liverpool v Man Utd FA Cup betting is the big highlight of the weekend’s top action. There is the whole Luis Suarez thing surrounding this, as it was against United that he was accused of making racist remarks towards Patrice Evra and which resulted in him getting an eight match ban. So there have been calls for all fans to remain calm ahead of the big match at Anfield, the second time this season they have played there. Liverpool and United played out a 1-1 draw in the league match back in October and the Red Devils face another tough match in this year’s FA Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men went across the City to face Manchester City in the third round and came away with a 3-2 win, staving off a brave fight back from the Blues who were down to ten men for most of the match, as Vincent Kompany got sent off. So United negotiated their way through that, and then landed another tough away match, this time at Anfield. United are under the cosh a little bit with injury problems, most recently losing Phil Jones for a while, and there are doubts over Nani as well. United had a bruising game at Arsenal on the weekend in the league, which they won 2-1 with a late goal from Danny Welbeck, but Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney were all causalities of war from that match. The bruises and bangs are stockpiling now, with Nemanja Vidic out for the season, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Young and more struggling for full fitness. Still, United continue to roll along, battling their way through their tough encounters, whoever Sir Alex Ferguson manages to throw out on to the pitch. United did hit a rough spot in the league, losing back to back games around the turn of the new year, but have bounced back from that. They have won the last two matches in the league now and with some good away form, will be up for the challenge, even if it isn’t their strongest starting eleven on show.

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Liverpool however are three matches without a win in the league and Kenny Dalglish has been accusing his players of not being committed enough. There is not much to offer going forward for Liverpool at the moment, with Suarez still missing for another two games after this one, and Andy Carroll far off the scoring mark. A bad defeat at struggling Bolton last week, kicked up a managerial fury and Liverpool’s quest here for FA Cup glory, will probably be a bit hampered by their midweek Carling Cup semi final action against Man City. It means that they are not going to have had as much rest ahead of Liverpool v Man Utd FA Cup betting as the Red Devils have and that could prove crucial. Liverpool’s form at home this season hasn’t been great either, winning just four of their eleven league matches and drawing the other seven. So they don’t give much away but the potential of them winning looks average at the moment, and half chances are pretty much all Manchester United need when it comes to grabbing success. But will the home advantage be the great leveller in this match? Yes, they will be more tired, but their fans need some success and after a good run in the Carling Cup, the usually tight Liverpool defence makes them a great cup side. If they could find a way to put more goals in the back of the net, then they would be a much tougher proposition. The two sides met in the FA Cup last season of course, with United winning 1-0 at Old Trafford, but United have failed to win on their last two visits at Anfield. So a tight affair is expected and of course, some drama. Will tempers run higher than the quality? There have been some real classics between these two and the bookies are favouring Liverpool to just get something out of this fixture. A tough side to break down at home.

Liverpool v Manchester United FA Cup Betting Odds
Liverpool to win: 17/10 at Stan James
Draw: 23/10 at Bet365
Man Utd to win: 6/4 at Totesport

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Popular bookie Paddy Power have a great football betting promotion running for Arsenal v Man Utd betting. If there are four or more goals scored in the match, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles which have been placed on the match. So great coverage on your betting meaning that you can dip into these mentioned markets with some insurance. In the First Goalscorer market for example, Robin van Persie is 4/1 favourite to open the scoring, while Wayne Rooney is just back at 9/2. Both of these would be covered by the Paddy Power Money Back special if they lose but there are four or more goals in the match. Online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, to the maximum value of £50.

Arsenal to win: 19/10 at William Hill
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Manchester United to win: 13/8 at Paddy Power

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EPL Match Preview: This is usually one of the best fixtures on the calendar year, Arsenal v Manchester United betting. There is pretty much some controversy, talking points and high quality action when Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson comes together. It is always a hotly contested affair, and it could be a great re-union for Paul Scholes, who has just come out of retirement and Arsenal’s Thierry Henry who has joined his old club on loan until the end of the season. United go into Sunday’s fixture trailing their big spending rivals Manchester City by three points and with Tottenham breathing right down their neck just two points back, United have to keep up the pressure. Arsenal’s revival looked to be going well until the last couple of fixtures where they have dropped six points. That has left them trying to play catch up in fifth place in the table, four points behind fourth placed Chelsea. So the points at stake are going to be massive for both of these clubs in what is really going to be a superb Sunday of action in Premier League betting. Can the Gunners get one over on their old rivals and dent United’s title hopes? Or can the Red Devils rediscover that winning consistency.

Arsenal Form: Sadly Thierry Henry could miss out on the big clash with Manchester United. The striker is struggling with a calf strain and he may have to miss the showcase fixture at The Emirates. The Gunners have been spluttering a little bit of late, going into the home match against Manchester united on the back of two away defeats. It hasn’t been a great start to the new year for Arsene Wenger, as he has seen his side crash away at Fulham and then at Swansea City. Still, they can look at their home form and take a lot of heart as they have suffered only one defeat there, picking up seven wins and two draws. That is a 70% win record at home in the Premier League this season for Arsene Wenger’s men and they are on a run on nine matches at the Emirates with no defeat. In the raising of their form since their poor start to the season, Arsenal have scored in each of their last nine home games racking up 16 home goals this season. That’s not a particularly hot tally for a home side of their calibre to be honest, but Arsenal’s defence at home has been marvellous, conceding just 6 goals at the Emirates. All this adds up to Arsenal scoring 1.6 on average per home game and conceding on average just 0.6 per game. So that is pretty strong stats for backing Arsenal to get something out of this game. Arsenal have kept clean sheets in half of their home fixtures this season, and at the Emirates is where the bulk of their points have come from. Arsenal have been at their sharp shooting best in the second half of matches, with 58% of their league goals coming after the break. The second half though is where they have conceded most of their goals as well, so we can expect second half fireworks. The Gunners are already missing Mikel Arteta because of injury and influential defender Thomas Vermaelen is also struggling to be fit for the match. Arsenal need to shake off their inconsistency again and get back to what they were doing so well on their eight match unbeaten streak. Robin van Persie will be the big danger man again, and the pressure will be on him if Thierry Henry can’t make it.

Manchester United Form: Sir Alex Ferguson will have been a bit dismayed as his side’s recent form They really dropped the ball at home against Blackburn and then were a total shambles at the back against Newcastle. They are missing Nemanja Vidic in the heart of the defence, because as Newcastle proved, if you get at the United back line with pace then you are going to get rewarded. United did hit back with a 3-0 home win over Bolton though last weekend, but the fits and starts of scoring form from Wayne Rooney continues as he hasn’t hit the back of the net in the league for four matches now. With Javier Hernandez not chipping in either, Dimitar Berbatov has suddenly come back into the fore for the Red Devils. United, being United, have a decent away record in the league this year, running up seven wins, two draws and one defeat. That is a 70% strike rate away from home, exactly the same as Arsenal’s home form, so it all points to a fascinating meeting again. Although they lost their last away match, they are six away games without picking up a draw now and they are scoring at a fair old click away from Old Trafford. United have hit 19 away goals at a rate of 1.90 per game, and the defence has been much better away from home that it has at Old Trafford this season, conceding only six at a rate of 0.60 goals per match. The stats of United’s away form and Arsenal home is remarkably similar. United have bagged the most amount of goals in the final fifteen minutes of matches, and they have opened the scoring in 81% of their matches this season, which is a great stat to pay attention to. Wayne Rooney is still the key man for them, having hit 13 league goals, and six of them away from home. Their current form does read two losses and a win in their last three matches, and this is a big period for the Red Devils in the league and the FA Cup with some big fixtures coming up. United do get back Chris Smalling and Phil Jones into their defence as options for the trip to the Emirates.

Head to Head: Arsenal actually have a pretty strong head to head ascendancy in this fixture, winning 57% of their home matches against United. United have managed just 26 wins at Arsenal out of 100 attempts going into this match. The Gunners actually average just over two goals per game in this fixtures, while United are at just averaging 1.3 per game at Arsenal. In last year’s corresponding fixture, Arsenal grabbed a 1-0 victory after suffering two consecutive home defeats against Manchester United. In the overall head to head between these two, it is the Red Devils who are head 89 wins to 78 for Arsenal, with 46 drawn matches in total between them. The last draw between them was a 0-0 at Old Trafford back in May 2009.

There are some good football betting selections to look ahead to in another action packed weekend of Premier League fixtures. The highlight of the weekend is going to be Manchester United’s trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal. The Red Devils gunned down a woeful Gunners 8-2 at Old Trafford earlier in the season, but with Thierry Henry back in an Arsenal shirt, will Arsenal be able to get some revenge? The Red Devils title rivals Manchester City are at home on Sunday in their big fixture against the high flying Tottenham Hotspur, so it is going to superb Sunday of top quality action in the Premier League. City hold a three point ascendancy at the top of the league at the moment going into the weekend’s action, so there are massive games to come. Online bookmaker SkyBet have raised one of their great What If? Betting questions about the two matches.

What If Both Manchester Clubs Win By Two Goals Or More?
If you think that they will, then there is a wonderful price of 14/1 to be snapped up. Need to put some stock in this bet happening? Well, Manchester City trounced Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane earlier in the season, while Man Utd of course ran rampant in a 8-2 victory over Arsenal at the start of the season.

There is plenty of other Premier League betting options to get your betting teeth into as well this weekend, and popular bookie SkyBet are looking at some of the home teams and wondering…

What If…Home Is Where The Heart Is?
What this means is that home sides Everton, QPR, Stoke and Sunderland all notch up wins on Saturday in the Premier League, then there is a nice price of 10/1 to be taken with the bookie. Struggling QPR could sure use a win at home over bottom side Wigan, while Everton will fancy their chances at Goodison Park against Blackburn Rovers. The improving Sunderland need a bounce back victory over Swansea after suffering defeat at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Then the high flying Stoke City, up in eighth place and challenging for the top six, will have strong home backing as they face the sliding West Brom. So can all four home sides win? There is a good enhanced price at SkyBet if you think that they will.

The SkyBet What If? Market is a great little option to look at with SkyBet, because there are fun little selections popping up extra week. In there you can get enhanced prices on the market selection that SkyBet present and is worth dipping in to in order to try and pick up a little extra bonus profit. The highly popular online bookmaker SkyBet offer a free £10 bet for new customers registering an account. This is a great welcome bonus offer from the bookie, as they offer the £10 bet completely free. All that you need to do is to register an account as a new customer with online bookmaker SkyBet, and the bookie will automatically credit your new account with a free £10 bet. It is that easy and straightforward to get your free bet!

Manchester United v Bolton betting could be just the fixture that Sir Alex Ferguson needs to get his title charge back on track. United have suffered back to back defeats in the Premier League, losing at home against the struggling Blackburn Rovers before being trounced 3-0 away at Newcastle. The Newcastle forward line were allowed to terrorize the weakened United back line, and without Nemanja Vidic at centre half, the Red Devils look a bit shaky back there. That is why six points have gone down the pan in the last two matches for them, defeats which has seen them not only drop three points behind leaders Manchester City, but with Spurs winning their game in hand in midweek, Tottenham have now pulled level on points with United and are in much better form than the Red Devils. So for once, United have to look over their shoulders and worry about dropping to third place. Fortunately you would look at this fixture and immediately put down a home banker. The defeat at Old Trafford by Blackburn was really out of the blue, and seeing United lose back to back matches is almost unheard of. Seeing them lose three on the bounce is really taking a big long stretch. Although the Red Devils went down against basement dwellers Blackburn, Rovers’ fellow strugglers Bolton should represent a fairly easy match for United. Sir Alex Ferguson will have been buoyed of course by their victory at the Etihad Stadium over Man City in the FA Cup, where Wayne Rooney was accused of getting City defender Vincent Kompany sent off in the first half. So United need to get back to winning ways in the league, but even in their FA Cup victory, the defensive frailties were there. Paul Scholes has come out of retirement, which is nothing more than an indication of the worry that must be around Old Trafford that the backbone of the squad isn’t strong enough to cope without Vidic’s influence.

United have won seven, drawn one and lost two at Old Trafford this season, and when they went to the Reebok earlier in the season, they came away 5-0 victors. United have scored in every one of their home matches this season, firing in 30 goals at an average of 3 per game, but they have conceded at a rate of 1.4 per game, which will given opposition a sniff of a chance. Can we talk about a mini revival at Bolton? Can we be thinking of an upset in Man Utd v Bolton betting? Owen Coyle’s troops have been struggling all season, but have only lost one of their last four matches. They scored a hugely important away win over Blackburn and then a draw against Wolves and an away win at Everton has given the Trotters a bit of hope of pulling clear of the relegation zone. However, there are still evident problems with Bolton, as they have conceded at least one goal in each of their last nine matches. Bolton have netted fourteen away goals in their ten matches, which isn’t too bad, but they have conceded 19 on the road, which has seen them struggle. In total, there have been four wins and six defeats for the Trotters on the road this season. They are yet to draw on the road. So Bolton’s away form has actually been much better than their home form in the Premier League, so are they capable of causing another upset away from home? Can they avenge the 5-0 hammering they received at the hands of United back in September of last year? If other results go their way this weekend, Bolton could pull out of the relegation zone with a win. While the transfer of defender Gary Cahill to Chelsea is still in the works, Owen Coyle is expected to call upon the services of the England defender until he sorts out his personal terms with the London club. Bolton could only manage a 2-2 draw away at Macclesfield in the FA Cup last weekend, but their recent away win at Everton in the league, shows that there may be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Last season’s corresponding fixture ended in a 1-0 win for United.

Manchester United v Bolton Betting Odds
Man Utd to win: 1/6 at Totesport
Draw: 15/2 at Boylesports
Bolton: 20/1 at Victor Chandler

Manchester United are usually amongst the goals, and therefore Victor Chandler’s football betting promotion called the VC Double Up is worth looking at. Back a correct First Goalscorer bet in the Man Utd v Bolton betting, and if that selection then goes on to score a second goal in the match, the bookie will pay you out at double the selected first Goalscorer odds. That will allow you to dip into the First Goalscorer market where Wayne Rooney is 11/4 favourite to open the scoring, with Dimitar Berbatov (who scored three against Wigan and two against Blackburn) behind him at 17/5. So good options to try and double your First Goalscorer odds with VC Bet.

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Manchester City v Manchester United Betting Tip & Odds: Which way to go with betting here? The biggest question in everyone’s mind, is will there be a backlash from United? However, you can’t ignore how shaky their defence is looking, while City’s is pretty solid. City have the edge in goalscoring, and are at home, and that is a lot to weigh up in their favour. Is the best United can hope for a draw, to have another crack at Old Trafford? A real heavyweight clash but there is a decent 3/1 return at Ladbrokes for City to win by a 1 goal margin.

Manchester City to win: 23/10 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Manchester United to win: 13/5 at SkyBet

FA Cup Match Preview: The FA Cup third round really could not get much bigger than this. A Manchester derby with some extra spice thrown in. The added spice comes not only from Man City crushing the Red Devils at Old Trafford in the league earlier in the season, but the two clubs are the main protagonists in the Premier League title chase. Just add even more spice, both of these two are also out of the Champions League, and will therefore be taking the challenge of the FA Cup even more serious, as their options on silverware have been narrowed for this season. There is also the semi final FA Cup meeting between these two from last season to look back on, when a Yaya Toure goal (following a Michael Carrick error) secured a 1-0 victory for the Blues, sending them through to the final, which they won. City go into the game as firm favourites, after a big drop in United’s form, but punters write United off at their peril. Will the Red Devils muster a response? Will knocking City out of the FA Cup, harm United’s chances of defending their league title against City? Manchester City v Manchester United betting presents a fascinating match and one that should deliver in high quality and no doubt, controversy.

Manchester City Form: Well, City wobbled but they didn’t fall over. After a draw at West Brom on Boxing Day and then defeat against Sunderland on New Year’s Day, the festive period looked as if was going to derail City’s title charge. With those four dropped points in two matches came the first two occurrences of City failing to find the back of the net this season. It was a surprising turn around after all the goals they had scored, but with those two matches being away from home, City found solace at the Etihad Stadium on January 3rd when Liverpool came to visit. City rattled off a comfortable 3-0 win, with an early strike from Sergio Aguero getting things rolling for City. That means Manchester City remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season at home, rattling off ten wins, and they went through all of 2011 without defeat at home. So this clearly is their fortress, and they will want it to be again when their bitter rivals come knocking on Sunday afternoon. City will be without Yaya and Kolo Toure, who weren’t given special permission to play as they ready themselves for action for the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. So City will be short of a couple of influential players, but they really should have the squad depth to more than make up for the absences in this Manchester derby. City of course have the most prolific strike force in the country, with Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli combining for 32 league goals alone this season. It has been a tremendous return for them, averaging around 2.75 goals per match, and the six they embarrassed United with at Old Trafford, really was the highlight. City boss Roberto Mancini has built a very solid side, which isn’t just all about offence, they are pretty tight at the back. City have kept four clean sheets out of their last five Premier League matches. Was the match at Old Trafford a fluke, helped by United going down to ten men? Or will City be ready to hand out even more punishment this season to their rivals?

Manchester United Form: What is happening at Manchester United? Two back to back defeats in the league. Out of the Champions League? Well, Sir Alex Ferguson is determined that they are not at panic stations yet despite their setbacks. After a home defeat against strugglers Blackburn on December 31st of last year, Manchester United followed that up with a crushing away defeat at Newcastle. That was all after United seemed to have come back into a very rich vein of form, scoring twelve goals and conceding none in three league matches. However, the shock of the Blackburn defeat at Old Trafford really rocked them, and then their defence was terrorized, there’s no other word for it, by Newcastle’s Demba Ba and Shola Ameobi. The Newcastle game really highlighted problems at the back for Manchester United, who are missing their rock, their fulcrum, Nemanja Vidic. Rio Ferdinand clearly can’t be relied upon in the heart of the defence match after match, and an error strewn game from wonder kid Phil Jones against Newcastle won’t have helped confidence. Now we have had the ridiculous rumour that Ferguson is interested in signing Frank Lampard, and while United do need a creative midfielder and a decent centre half, is it time to write them off just yet? No-one will do that, because that would be folly. Is there anyone better at fighting through than Sir Alex Ferguson? One thing can be relied on, and that is Ferguson will have his day, and it would be so very Manchester United like for them to turn up at the Etihad Stadium and sneak a win after going in as firm underdogs. Yes, their confidence will have been knocked at the back after conceding six goals in two league matches, but they are better than that. Let’s not forget that they have Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov who are capable of getting in amongst the goals very easily. This will be the perfect mark, the perfect match for United to turn up and prove that they are not out of the picture on the domestic front yet.

 Head to Head: We have had two meetings already this season, there is the forgotten Community Shield match which was won 3-2 by United, and then the league triumph by City. Last season, City beat United 1-0 in the FA Cup semi final at Wembley, and their previous FA Cup meeting before that was back in February 2004 which United won 4-2. Going all the way back to the 1970 meeting, United have won four of the five FA Cup meetings between the two rivals. IN the overall head to head of all meetings in all competitions, United still have a huge advantage, having won 66 times compared to City’s 44 victories. There have been 50 drawn matches between them.

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Monday 26th December

English Premier League

Manchester United v Wigan

Manchester United have rediscovered their form in recent weeks so go into the Boxing Day clash with Wigan in high spirits despite trailing neighbours City by two points.

Sir Alex Ferguson was coming under pressure from a few quarters after his side’s Champions League elimination to Basle at the start of the month but he has been in similar situtations before and will have laughed off claims that this United side are not as good as one’s from recent history. Despite not being top at Christmas this year, United have actually accumulated more points compared to this stage last season. Wednesday’s 5-0 away win against Fulham was their second win in London in a three days after a comfortable 2-0 success at Loftus Road against QPR. The most pleasing aspect for Ferguson will have been the amount of chances they created in those games as well as the 4-1 over Wolves in their last home match. It was getting back to something like the form they showed at the beginning of the season when their attacking play was immense and they were scoring goals for fun. With back to back home matches in their last couple of games of 2011 against Wigan and Blackburn, it provides United with the perfect opportunity to boost their goal difference as it may well come down to that at the end of the season with the two Manchester clubs so evenly matched.

Wigan are coming to the end of a difficult run of fixtures after playing both Chelsea and Liverpool at the DW Stadium within the space of a week. They managed to get a draw out both of those games despite looking like second best for the majority of both games. A late leveller from Jordi Gomez against Chelsea last Saturday and a penalty save from Charlie Adam’s spot kick against Liverpool may prove to be vital come May. It’s so tight at the bottom of the table that every point counts and those two draws are as valuable as wins when you consider the opposition. Monday’s match may well be the most difficult of the lot with the form of United so Roberto Martinez has to get his players to take confidence from the two home games and use it when they go to Old Trafford. Currently still in the bottom three, any sort of result on Monday would be a massive bonus and would mean they had played three of the divison’s best sides and remained unbeaten. In order to get a result, however, Wigan must begin the game better than they did on Wednesday against Liverpool as they could have lost the game in the opening half hour if it wasn’t for their goalkeeper and their opponents being so wasteful infront of goal.

Wayne Rooney has scored in each of his last three games including an excellent strike in the comprehensive win against Fulham. His double against Wolves were his first goals since October and his first strikes in the league since September. The fact he has 13 goals to his name this season in league competition alone shows how prolific he wss in the early stage of the season. His return to form also proves how important he is to United’s attacking play so Ferguson, his team-mates and the supporters will be hoping that he can continue it over the course of the rest of the season.

Unsurprisingly Wigan have struggled to accumulate points on the road again this season with five defeats from their first eight matches on the road. Their two victories, however, came in their last two matches away from the DW Stadium against West Brom and Sunderland. They will definitely improve the morale of the team when they make the short trek to Manchester but they will also be under no illusions as to how difficult it will be. The last four games between the two clubs have yielded zero points for Wigan, zero goals for Wigan and a woeful 16 goals against.

No surprise to read that I think United will continue their dominance against a Wigan side they have never failed to win against and it will be a comfortable one at that.

My Selections: Manchester United (-2) to beat Wigan

Best odds available: 11/8 available with Boylesports

English Championship

Reading v Brighton

Reading will be aiming to continue their recent good form against a Brighton side who have lost their last two.

After losing Shane Long to West Brom at the start of the season, Reading found it difficult to get any sort of consistency to their game and it was obvious that the other players had not adjusted to both Long’s departure and the loss of captain Matt Mills who joined Leicester. Slowly but surely, however, the Royals are finding their best form at just the right time with the games coming thick and fast. Last week’s 1-0 win over Leeds at Elland Road was their fourth win from their last five and it means that they have climed the table in recent weeks and are just outside the play-off positions. Three defeats in 15 is good going considering the competitive nature of the Championship and the difference in recent weeks has been the conversion of draws into wins which of course, makes all the difference. The players will take most confidence from their last two wins against Leeds and West Ham as they are sides which are in and around them at the moment.

Brighton looked as though they had recovered from their indifferent spell after a great start to the season. Three straight wins got their season back on track and they were threatening the teams in the play-off zone but they followed that run up with two consecutive losses against Burnely and Middlesbrough, both by a solitary goal. Gus Poyet will not be too disheartened by those results considering the teams that did beat them were in good form and they were also closely fought encounters as well. He may be more worried by the fact that his players still continue to struggle infront of goal. The Seagulls have managed just six goals from their last 10 games so it’s evident where they need to improve. Their top scorer, record signing Craig Mackail-Smith, has just six goals in the league and has scored just one goals in his last 13 games for his club side.

With the goals of Shane Long, well, long gone, Reading have had to spread the goals around the team as opposed to relying on one man for the majority of their strikes. Adam Le Fondre has managed five, Simon Church has six and then it’s a case of a handful of players having two or three to their name, including Noel Hunt. It is noticeable, however, that Reading are not as potent infront of goal this term as compared to previous season when they had the likes of Long, Kevin Doyle and Dave Kitson.

Brighton have managed even less goals to date but they still remain dangerous and as the old saying goes, if you keep a clean sheet, you can’t lose. The story of Brighton’s season is that when they do keep a clean sheet, they normally win. Six of Brighton’s nine wins have came with clean sheets so they will be hoping they can keep Reading’s forwards out in order to aid their chances of coming away with a win which would put them ahead of their opponents.

I can see this match being particularly close as the sides are very evenly matched in terms of ability as well as their current league positions and records to date. Reading are in slightly better form going into the match but that can often count for nothing in this league. Brighton have lost three of their last four away form home in the league with their only win being against a Derby side who were in terrible form at the time. With that in mind, I am on the home team’s side to prevail – just!

My Selection: Reading to beat Brighton

Best odds available: 4/5 available with Betfred

English League One

Walsall v Sheffield Wednesday

Second top Sheffield Wednesday travel to Walsall hoping to keep the pressure on league leaders Charlton.

Walsall have been in and around the relegation places for much of the season and find themselves occupying the final position in the dropzone ahead of Wednesday’s vist – on Monday. Their recent form has been littered with draws, four in the last five to be precise. It’s a lot better than losing four of their last five but if teams close to them are getting the odd win it makes it so much harder to climb the table. Charlton visited in the middle of the month and could only manage a draw so although their fans will be hoping that they are converted into wins sooner rather than later, they will be delighted with the players’ desire and hardwork, especially against the better sides in the league. Manager Dean Smith will no doubt take heart from that performance as well when the Owl’s come to town and will be reminding his players that it will take the same level of performance if they wish to get anything out the match on Boxing Day.

Wednesday were involved in the game of the season in League One last Saturday against Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield. After going down 2-0 early on, Wednesday recovered and eventually took a 4-2 lead late on only to end up with the one point after Jordan Rhodes scored two late goals and rescued a point for their visitors. Gary Megson is not known for his side’s free flowing football so he will be disappointed that they not only failed to win, but also because they conceded four goals at home. That will be fresh in the mind for Megson and his defenders so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the away side adopt a slightly more conservative approach, especially early on against Walsall.

Walsall have still not won since October but for the reason’s mentioned earlier in this preview, the result of Monday’s match is certainly not a forgone conclusion. Jon Macken scored against Charlton as well as when these sides last met back in April so he’ll be closely monitored by the Wednesday defence and is the biggest threat for the home side.

Wednesday will again be without Gary Madine who is out with a broken toe but the four goals last week prove they are still very dangerous going forward. Nicky Weaver is expected to come into goal as Stephen Bywater has returned to his parent club after his loan spell. Wednesday have been in excellent form on the road of late with three straight league wins and four in all competitions.

Wednesday are in far better form than their Boxing Day hosts and I expect them to go one better than Charlton by taking all three points.

My Selection: Sheffield Wednesday to beat Walsall

Best odds available: 10/11 available with Totesport

Finally, I hope all readers have a very Merry Christmas. Let’s hope Boxing Day brings with it a few delayed presents.

Well the injury list is certainly mounting up for Sir Alex Ferguson over the Christmas period, as we head towards Manchester United v Wigan betting on Boxing Day. The Red Devils nearly lost highly touted Phil Jones to a long lay off with a jaw problem, but reports are that he is going to be fit for the Festive period. However, Ashley Young will definitely be out of action for a few weeks. With Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand on the sidelines already, along with Fabio, Anderson and Tom Cleverley, and of course Darren Fletcher’s absence from the game for a while the Red Devils are digging deeper into their squad. Still, they seem to have picked up their form very well after suffering that exit from the Champions League. It has given them a real jolt it appears to go after the defence of their title. After going through a patch where they were scarping through matches, they have started to turn up the heat a little bit more, getting much more clinical in the final third of the pitch. Still, they have the chance to keep up the pressure at the top of the Premier League on Manchester City, with a comfortable looking home game against Wigan on Boxing Day.

Nothing less than a United win will be expected in this Man Utd v Wigan betting fixture, however, Wigan have been battling and scrapping for points in their last two matches. After rescuing a late draw at home against Chelsea, Wigan held Liverpool at bay for another valuable point in their fight for survival this season. Wigan are still struggling and are still in a fight to avoid the drop, however, these last two matches will have given them some hope. It has been a tough run in the fixture list for Wigan, and while they won’t be expected to bring back anything from Old Trafford, their spirits at least must be high. Watching the way Manchester United tore about Fulham at Craven Cottage in the week though, and seeing United’s Wayne Rooney return to goal scoring form, there will also be a bit of trepidation and perhaps damage limitation to come as well on Boxing Day. Manchester United have rediscovered their scoring touch, so it seems and have fired in eleven goals in their last three matches in the league. The Red Devils are averaging just under 3 goals per game at home in the Premier League this season and are hungry to keep up their title defence.
Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a good promotion running for Manchester United v Wigan betting on Boxing Day. If there are five or more goals scored in the game at Old Trafford, then the bookie will pay out lost stake refunds on First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets placed on the match. So if you are expecting another five goal haul from Manchester United as a Christmas gift, then your betting will be covered by the Paddy Power Money Back Special. In the First Goalscorer Market for example in Man Utd v Wigan betting, Wayne Rooney, who has now netted four goals in his last three league games is priced at 5/2 favourite, with Dimitar Berbatov behind him at 4/1. In the Correct Score Market a comfortable 2-0 home win fetches 5/1, while a 3-0 win is out a little bit at 6/1, but all great value, especially with the bit of betting insurance in place thanks to the Paddy Power Money Back Special.

Manchester United v Wigan Betting Odds at Paddy Power
Man Utd 1/6, Draw 6/1, Wigan 16/1

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Fulham v Manchester United Betting Tip & Odds: Well, because of the recent history of this fixture, and looking at the stats for it (see below), and looking at form, we are expecting a United win. But with there not being much value in backing them outright, take them To Win To Nil for 2/1 at Ladbrokes for some better market options. Why? Well United’s last five wins over Fulham have been to nil, so you can’t overlook that trend for value. That and United haven’t conceded an away goal for four matches now. It all adds up.

Fulham to win: 4/1 at Bet365
Draw: 11/4 at Victor Chandler
Manchester United to win: 8/11 at Bet365

EPL Match Preview: This should be a fascinating match in the Premier League on Wednesday night. Fulham seem to have gotten a bit of a grip on Man Utd when they visit Craven Cottage recently, and with a tough Christmas fixture list, the Craven Cottager’s will no doubt be delighted to walk away with a point from this one. Fulham haven’t been scoring enough, not able to turn enough one point games into three point games for themselves, and they should be relishing a night of trying to frustrate and pinch a goal against the Red Devils. As for United, after a good win on the weekend, in which they were wasteful in front of goal against QPR but still walked away with a 2-0 win, they need to keep their title charge going. They haven’t been as fluent or impressive as leaders Manchester City, but you can never count Sir Alex Ferguson’s men out of the running. That would be folly and they keep on churning out the necessary results whichever way they can. Things are just so tight at the top this season, that dropped points are crucial in the jostling for position inside the top four, can United do what they do best and grind out a win away from home, or will Fulham produce another great home performance, stopping the Red Devils in their tracks?

Fulham Form: The Craven Cottage outfit have not been quite the force which they were expected to be this season under Martin Jol. They didn’t pick up a win until their seventh league match of the season, and there have been only four wins in total from them. They have exited the Europa League and so need an injection of something just to push them to the next level. That’s not to say that Fulham have been total pushovers, they haven’t, and in fact, have raised their game over the last five Premier League matches. They have lost just once in their last four, which was away at Swansea, in what will have been a frustrating match for boss Martin Jol, but either side of that there was a win over Liverpool and a win over Bolton. They were the only ones as well to take points off Arsenal in their unbeaten stretch during their recovery (before the Gunners went to Man City), holding Arsene Wenger’s men to a draw at the Emirates. So they are capable of frustrating and grabbing points of top opposition, they also held Manchester City to a draw as well this season. With a big boxing day derby against Chelsea, Fulham will be looking to build some momentum, and will look to their good home form against the Red Devils to carry them through. Fulham’s home form in the league reads three wins, three draws and two defeats. So they are hard to get the better of at Craven Cottage, but they just don’t quite have the firepower to secure three points often enough. It is not helping that main striker Bobby Zamora wants away from the club. But Fulham are on a two match winning stream at home, and for all the draws which they have picked up this season, they haven’t had a draw at home for five matches now. Fulham have managed to get on the score sheet in all but one of their home matches this season, and they have netted fourteen times in those eight home games. That is an average of 1.75 goals per game, but they have on average conceded 1.12 goals per game at home, so you can see that their wins don’t come by big margins. They have kept clean sheets in 50% of their home matches though, and 50% of their home games have ended over 2.5 goals. Fulham’s scoring hasn’t been all that high, but they have weighed in with more goals during the second half of matches than the first, with 61% of their goals coming after the half time break. However, they have only opened the scoring in just 31% of all their matches, which clearly indicates that they are usually chasing game. Clint Dempsey is top scorer for the club with five goals, with want away Zamora on just three.

Manchester United Form: Well, United’s form seems to be getting better. Their exit from the Champions League probably gave them a bit of a wakeup call. They have been helped out by Wayne Rooney deciding to get on the score sheet again, bagging three in his last two matches. It has been a good December for United in the Premier League, with three wins from three and just one goal conceded. They have made up a bit of ground on league leaders Manchester City as well, thanks to Chelsea beating their rivals recently. A few easy games on the fixture list has no doubt helped with United’s progress after their Champions League humiliation, and with a long term injury to Nemanja Vidic, Javier Hernandez on the treatment table, and Darren Fletcher taking a break, Sir Alex Ferguson is having to call on his squad, the strength of which has been called into question. Interestingly, United have still only scored more than one goal in three of their last nine Premier League matches, but with six in their last two, is their form returning in front of goal? They certainly have more firepower than the goal shy Fulham, but with recent form not in their favour at Craven Cottage, is this going to be a difficult away day for Man Utd? United haven’t lost on the road this season, winning six and drawing two, which is pretty good going, a 75% win success rate. They are also on a four match winning streak away from Old Trafford, and haven’t lost in eight matches now on the road. In their eight away matches this season, United have hit the back of the net fourteen times, but it is their defence which is carrying them and keeping them in away games, having conceded just three. That is the problem which will face Fulham. United are averaging 1.75 goals per game on the road, while they are conceding on average just 0.38. Pretty good stats for an away team and why United will always keep themselves in the hunt for the Premier League title. 62% of United’s away matches have seen them keep a clean sheet. United’s best period of matches in front of goal has been in the 16-30 minute bracket, where they have profited the most. They are also still mightily dangerous at the death of matches as well, so you can never count them out of things. United have opened the scoring in 87.5% of their games this season. Wayne Rooney has rediscovered his goal scoring tough and leads the club with 12 goals. They need him, especially with Hernandez sidelined, the only real other contribution has come from Nani this season, with five goals.

Head to Head: It is the recent head to head in this fixture which could make it a very interesting night for your Fulham v Manchester United betting. Fulham have won two and drawn one of the last three meetings against United at Craven Cottage, last season’s corresponding fixture producing a 2-2 draw. Overall though, United do hold a head to head supremacy over Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Red Devils have won 13 of the meetings there, while Fulham as the home side have only managed eleven. There have been twelve draws between them in London. The last time United won against Fulham in London was back in February 2009, when they ran out 3-0 winners at Craven Cottage. Interestingly, eight of the last nine meetings between these two sides have produced a positive result, and each one of those eight wins has come with a clean sheet. Interesting stat to weigh up for your betting here.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Probably going to be worth looking at Victor Chandler’s Double Up promotion for your Fulham v Man Utd betting. Back a winning First Goalscorer in this match with VC Bet, and if that same player goes on to score a second at any time during the match, then the bookie will pay you out at double your original odds. So that’s pretty good value to take. Wayne Rooney is 4/1 favourite in the market here for Wednesday’s match. Online bookmaker Victor Chandler offer a free £25 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £25!