I’m backing draw/Manchester United at 4.84/1 and Manchester United to win to nil once again.
Following last week's FA Cup hammer-blow, Everton return to Premier League action with a trip to Old Trafford to face title-chasing Manchester United. Lee Dixon selects the best bets.
You have to feel for Everton. As ever, David Moyes hasn't had much money to spend in the transfer market and what little money he did have came as a result of selling the likes of Yakubu and Mikel Arteta.
I think Everton are just a couple of really good signings away from having a team capable of competing for a top five finish. But at least now they have in Nikica Jelavic a top striker who I think will score a lot of goals. His signing in January didn't draw too much attention because people think it's easy to score goals in Scotland but he's proved already that he's certainly good enough for this league. I've liked what I've seen of Darron Gibson, too. He's very much a Moyes player: disciplined, hard-working, consistent. And Leighton Baines has been excellent again this season. Before Jelavic arrived, and with Tim Cahill out of sorts, the full-back was often Everton's most threatening player, marauding up that left wing and very dangerous from set-pieces.
Maybe another couple of class players would have got them over the line against Liverpool last weekend. That was a real hammer blow to lose like but, if they're looking for positives, it does mean that they can concentrate solely on their remaining league matches.
Half-Time/Full Time/Win to nil
Manchester United's win over Aston Villa went somewhat against the grain.
It was no surprise that they kept another clean sheet but I was surprised they scored four. Their recent matches have tended to be 1-0 or 2-0 wins but, then again, Aston Villa were without so many important players that they just ran out of steam late on.
I expect Everton will put in a typically competitive, resilient display but I'm not sure they'll get anything from the game. Mentally and physically they must be pretty drained after last weekend's effort.
Everton may well hold United up until the break but Sir Alex's options on the bench and the greater momentum they're carrying should prove too much for the Toffees in the second-half.
I'm backing draw/Manchester United at 4.84/1 and Manchester United to win to nil once again.
Under 2.5 Goals
Some players love playing against their old clubs and go out of their way to make sure that they score against them. Wayne Rooney isn't one of them.
Opta tell us that in 12 appearances against the Everton he's scored just twice. So there's a decent chance United's top scorer will draw a blank here. Opta also tell us that Everton have scored just two goals in their last seven league trips to Old Trafford, and have failed to net in their last three. And to round it all off, United have won their last seven league games at Old Trafford, conceding just one goal in the process.
If the evidence suggests that this is going to be a low-scoring match, it would be silly to ignore it. Especially when it's an extremely generous price.
Recommended Bets
1 pt Back Draw/Manchester United @ 4.84/1
2 pts Manchester United to win to nil @ 2.1411/10
2 pts Back under 2.5 goals @ 2.3211/8
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