Tag Archives: Manchester

Manchester eyes Europa progress

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Manchester City (11/4 Outright) and Manchester United (10/3) will continue their quest for Europa League success on Thursday evening as they look to secure positive results in their respective last-16, first-leg ties against Sporting Lisbon and Athletic Bilbao respectively.

City are up first as they make the trip to Portugal to face Sporting at the Jose Alvalade Stadium with a 6pm kick-off. Roberto Mancini’s men booked their place against Sporting thanks to a 4-0 home win against holders FC Porto in the previous round, although they were trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal which will no doubt give the hosts hope of emulating their league leaders going into this game.

However, City are in strong form having won their last six games, conceding just one goal in the process, so will be optimistic of making life easier for themselves in this round. Mancini is set to hand Sergio Aguero and David Silva starting roles after resting them for Saturday’s 2-0 win against Bolton, while James Milner and Edin Dzeko are set to start having only played minor roles in that game.

Kolo Toure is likely to play at right-back due to injuries to Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta, with Nigel de Jong set to replace the suspended Yaya Toure.

Sporting go into the game on the back of their first defeat under new coach Ricardo Sa Pinto, 1-0 away at Vitoria Setubal on Saturday, having won the previous three to occupy fourth spot in the Portuguese league.

However, they have been strong on home soil in Europe, having won every tie played in front of their own fans so far this season, which is a stern warning to City that they should not turn up and be complacent for this test.

Sporting have been hit by the loss of top scorer Ricky van Wolfswinkel due to injury so Matias Fernandez and Andre Carillo will fight it out to feature, with Uruguayan Sebastian Ribas ineligible to play.

The two sides have not faced each other competitively, but with Sporting boasting a formidable record at home and City in a rich run of form, they could well cancel each other out.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 5/2
Value Bet: Sporting/Draw HT/Ft @ 12/1

Manchester United get their last-16 clash with Spanish outfit Athletic Bilbao underway at Old Trafford at 8.05pm looking to shake off their uncertain home form of one win in four games in European competition this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage after dropping points on home soil to the likes of Basel and Benfica, while a 2-1 second-leg defeat to Ajax at the Theatre of Dreams almost ended their Europa League bid after they had won the first leg 2-0 in Amsterdam.

However, the Red Devils’ form has been on the up in the Premier League since that defeat, with successive wins at Norwich and Tottenham keeping them within two points of league leaders Manchester City.

And they will be looking to avoid any more problems against Athletic Bilbao as Ferguson will want a comfortable lead to take to Spain for the second leg.

United do have problems on the injury front as Paul Scholes sat out training on Wednesday, while Michael Owen was also absent and Antonio Valencia trained on his own as he continues his recovery from a hamstring strain.

Ferguson blamed a lack of experience for the defeat to Ajax and will want to inject some older heads into the starting XI to ensure they do not have to travel in a week’s time chasing the tie against a Bilbao side with a strong home record in Europe.

Coach Marcelo Bielsa has guided the side to within a point of the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot in La Liga courtesy of a 2-0 Basque derby win over Real Sociedad at the weekend, while they have won three and drawn one of their home games in the Europa League when looking ahead to the second leg.

Midfielder Ander Herrera is adamant that his side are making the trip to Old Trafford to come back as winners, while towering frontman Fernando Llorente (15/2 – First Goalscorer) is a player who could pose a real threat to the United goal if he is not carefully marshalled.

It looks set to be an open tie and with United knowing they could do with a win to take to Spain next week, expect a few goals and the hosts to come out on top.

Prediction: Home Win 90 Minutes @ 1/2
 Value Bet: United To Win 3-1 Correct Score @ 9/1

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Manchester duo in for tough night

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Champions League action returns this week and with the group stages reaching a climax, the top two clubs in England will be looking to confirm their places in the knockout stages on Tuesday.

Manchester City made a slow start to what was seen as the group of death but have now been cut into 5/1 to win Group A after back-to-back wins over whipping boys Villarreal.

The Premier League big spenders have dominated domestically so far, opening up a five-point lead in the table, but have failed to transfer that free-scoring form onto the European stage.

The match betting suggests City will fight Bayern Munich for top honours in the group in the final round of matches, with Roberto Mancini’s men priced at 21/20 to win in 90 minutes.

However, Napoli have a tremendous record at the Stadio San Paolo in European competition and look the value bet at 11/4 to make home advantage count, while the draw is on offer at 12/5.

Beating Villarreal has not been a problem for any of the other three sides so far so two wins on the bounce is little to write home about for City, especially as they needed an injury-time winner to secure a win at the Etihad in the first of those meetings.

Although flying high in the Premier League, Roberto Mancini’s men were well-beaten by Bayern Munich in September – and are still dealing with the fallout to a degree in the sense that Carlos Tevez has gone AWOL – while the Citizens were held by Napoli in Manchester in the opening game of the group.

The Azzurri’s counter-attacking style posed plenty of problems for City that day and with the FA Cup holders facing group leaders Bayern in the final round of matches, they are likely to be going for the win rather than relying on getting something out of their finale to make the knockout stages.

That could leave their defence, which has struggled to keep clean sheets, exposed again while Walter Mazzarri’s men have already proved they are no easy-beats having held Bayern in Italy to a 1-1 draw.

Napoli, who beat Villarreal 2-0 in their home opener, are actually unbeaten in 10 home matches since returning to European competitions in 2008 after 13 years, while Tony Kroos’s early strike for Bayern ended a run of 573 minutes in without conceding a goal at home in Europe.

City have yet to win away against a Serie A side, with their last three matches all ending 1-1, but this is not your average side and Mancini has of course got a wealth of options at his disposal.

Still given Napoli’s home record it is hard to see value in City’s price so the Italians at 11/4 offers plenty of value, with the draw next best at 12/5.

Group C is perhaps a lot tighter than many people had envisioned with Manchester United and Benfica topping the group on eight points, while there is a distinct possibility that Basel could make it three teams on 11 points come the end of the group stage.

These two played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in the opening round of matches with Benfica having the best of the game, but United are 8/15 favourites in the match betting to make home advantage count.

The 2011 beaten finalists do have a tremendous home record in the competition, having tasted defeat just once in their last 34 matches, with Benfica available at 6/1 to upset that run and the odds, while the draw is on offer at 3/1.

United have never lost at home to Portuguese opposition either but there has been a change in attitude in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side since they suffered the embarrassing 6-1 defeat at home to arch rivals City.

The defence had been living a charmed life up to that point – Basel were unlucky to only get a point after scoring three at Old Trafford – and the City humiliation has changed the thinking at the club.

United have not conceded a goal in the five matches since the derby nightmare so do not expect a gung-ho approach, particularly with Benfica yet to taste defeat on their travels in Europe this season.

United have been grinding out narrow wins without impressing anyone other than for the fact that they are winning without playing well, but Benfica are perhaps not in the best nick either – having been held by Basel at home last time out.

The Portuguese giants have been relying heavily on the goal-scoring talents of Rodrigo so if United can keep him quiet, another narrow win is on the cards.

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Manchester mind-games underway

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The battle to be the top dogs in not just England but Manchester itself comes to a head at Old Trafford on Sunday lunch-time as the Premier League top two clashes in the biggest game of the season so far (United 21/20, City 11/4, draw 12/5 – Match Betting).

Despite Sir Alex Ferguson recently claiming United’s game with Liverpool was the “biggest game in world football” the fact the Anfield side have not really troubled the Red Devils for the big prizes takes the gloss off the clash somewhat.

The United boss’ claims contained an element of mind games – as he knows big-spending City are his team’s biggest threat for the Premier League title this season – with Ferguson further stirring the pot this week by claiming his team had already played all top sides in the table so far, excluding City and thus ignoring them as real contenders.

City fans will have paid close attention to the fact Ferguson’s way of viewing the fixture has altered dramatically in recent years, as he has described Roberto Mancini’s side as a “small club with a small mentality” and “noisy neighbours”, comments which hark back to psychological battles of old he had with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez when he saw them as his closest rivals.

Coming into Sunday lunch-time’s game at Old Trafford, City sit atop the Premier League table with a two-point advantage over their rivals, so part of their mentality could be to hold United and not give them the satisfaction of two-folded bragging rights, as a win would couple with leapfrogging them to the summit (0-0 15/2 and 1-1 11/2 – Correct Score).

Both sides are unbeaten in the league and recorded their first Champions League wins of the season in midweek. With United’s defence looking shaky regularly so far this campaign and City boasting an incredible array of attacking talent then Citizens fans could cross Manchester in buoyant mood they can get one over on their more illustrious rivals.

The statistics do not make great reading for City however, as United have won every Premier League game at Old Trafford since a draw with West Brom 12 months ago – indeed it is 24 wins from 25 matches since Chelsea beat them at home in April 2010. United also beat City in the Community Shield thanks to an injury-time winner from winger Nani, although how the result of a glorified friendly matters is open to debate.

Sunday’s game is far too early in the season to be regarded as a title decider but the atmosphere around Old Trafford would probably suggest to the contrary as the Manchester derbies be the biggest games of the season to both sets of fans. A victory for City could signify a real shift in power, not only in Manchester but in English football as a whole, so it is possible that United have more to lose out of the two sides.

The game is going to be littered with potential match-winners as both teams can boast a side full of international stars, but on many occasions a clash with such promise can turn out to be a damp squib. This game last season was lit up by Wayne Rooney’s match-winning overhead kick and it could be another moment of magic which seizes the day (Rooney 4/1 First Goal scorer).

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Manchester duo eye Euro wins

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The second round of Champions League matches begin on Tuesday with both Manchester clubs in action. The duo are sweeping all before them in the Premier League so can they both do the business in Europe this week? (United 13/2, City 10/1 Champs League Outright)

Manchester United v Basle

A glance at the league tables from England and Switzerland, plus a look at the respective squads and most people would point towards a huge United win on Tuesday evening at Old Trafford, but just who will Sir Alex Ferguson have in his starting XI? (United 1/6, Basle 18/1, draw 13/2 – match prices).

Reports suggest that the veteran tactician might be missing as many as eight senior players when Basle come calling, with star striker Wayne Rooney certain to miss out.

He has been the lifeblood of the side so far this term and is in the form of his life and his absence will certainly be felt at the Theatre of Dreams.

Javier Hernandez limped off early in the Stoke game with a dead leg and he is rated as doubtful while central defenders Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Nemanja Vidic were all absent from training on Monday morning.

With Rafael, Tom Cleverley and Darron Gibson long-term absentees, the United physio’s couch is certain to be a busy place and Ferguson will have to look to his fringe players to do the business in Europe this week.

Michael Owen did his chances no harm at all with a mid-week Carling Cup brace last week and he could start alongside forgotten man Dimitar Berbatov, who was scoring goals for fun this time last year.

Danny Welbeck is also an option while Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones look set to be paired in the centre of defence with Antonio Valencia again being used as an emergency right-back.

United certainly have injury problems at the moment but, such is the strength of their squad with the likes of Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher able to fill the midfield berths, that they should have more than enough to beat a Basle side who are already eight points behind leaders Lucerne in the Swiss top flight.

And they need all three points having managed just a draw at Benfica in their opening match.

Bayern Munich v Man City

City also kicked off their debut season in the Champions League with a 1-1 home draw against Napoli but, unlike their neighbours, will probably be happy to come away with a point against Bayern Munich (Bayern Evens, City 11/4, draw 13/5 – match prices).

The Bavarians have won nine games in a row, are top of the Bundesliga and are playing some superb football both home and away.

Add to that the fact that they have scored 26 goals and not conceded during that run and it all points to a tricky night for Roberto Mancini’s men.

Indeed the Italian tactician has stated that he feels the current Bayern team is the best he has ever seen and it would be no surprise to see him set up his side with defence in mind at the Allainz Arena.

The City rearguard showed a vulnerability against Fulham and now they will have to contend with the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez, while the German side’s defence has conceded just one goal at home in the top flight this term.

City will not be overawed by their task, however, as they possess quality throughout their squad and have plenty of options up front to try and do what has been virtually impossible in Munich this season – score a  goal.

David Silva, Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri have been on fire in midfield, while Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko will always provide a threat up front and will be hoping to find the back of the net on Tuesday evening.

Mancini was criticised for being too defensive in the early part of his City tenure but now his Italian attitude of keeping a clean sheet might be just what the doctor ordered in week two of the Champions League.

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Manchester duo enjoy PL reign

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Following another rip-roaring weekend in the Premier League, it’s the two Manchester clubs that sit at the top of the table with three wins out of three apiece. City’s 5-1 demolition of Spurs was overshadowed by United’s amazing 8-2 rout of Arsenal but can Roberto Mancini’s men have the last laugh and end up Premier League champions come May?

Mancini’s City (2/1 Premier League outright) seem to have totally transformed themselves over the summer and, following several high-profile arrivals, now appear a free-flowing attacking side after being criticised last term for being too conservative. They were simply irresistible in Sunday’s 5-1 away victory at White Hart Lane and will be hard to stop this season.

Key to this has been the signing of Argentinian Sergio Aguero, whose movement and intelligence on the field seem to have given them a whole new dimension.

However, their real star so far has been Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko (7/2 top scorer) who, after a disappointing period following his transfer in January, is now the league’s top scorer after hitting four on Sunday.

With it looking more and more likely that striker Carlos Tevez will be staying at the club, City now look a major threat – both at home and abroad.

However, their local rivals United (11/10 outright) will undoubtedly have something say about that after their sensational 8-2 win over Arsenal on Sunday.

Although the Gunners had a number of their stars missing for the Old Trafford clash, United still produced an amazing display.

Wayne Rooney was the star-man, netting a hat-trick, and he will be looking to finally win the Premier League Golden Boot award after coming close on a number of occasions (3/1 Premier League top scorer).

Liverpool (16/1 Premier League outright) were another side to impress at the weekend and Kenny Dalglish’s second honeymoon at the club is continuing. His troops keep improving and the 3-1 win over Bolton has raised expectations further at Anfield.

In Luis Suarez they have one of the stars of the season so far and, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing supplying the ammunition, they may even now be considered an outside bet for the title.

And so to Arsenal. The Gunners have been many neutral fans’ favourite side over the last few seasons but at the minute they are floundering.

Injuries and suspensions were part of their downfall on Sunday but the recent departures of star duo Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri have left them bereft of world class players and boss Arsene Wenger is under pressure to spend big money on replacements.

He may not have the time, though, with the transfer window closing on Wednesday and Arsenal already face a real fight to get themselves back into the top four.

So, despite it still only being the end of August, the weekend just gone may turn out to be one of the most pivotal in the season.

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Premiership Predications: Spurs Can Damage Manchester United’s Title Hopes

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Harry RedknappAfter a week when Tottenham ended Arsenal’s challenge for the title and put a severe dent in Chelsea’s challenge Harry Redknapp’s squad have the opportunity to spoil the party for Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The way that Spurs came back from their FA Cup semi-fnal defeat by Portsmouth says a geat eal about the character of the team. Thy ae beginning to look like a team that deserves to play Champions League football and United’s victory over Manchester City opened the door for the London club again.

Manchester City must negotiate a difficult fixture at Arsenal later on Saturday. Spurs kick off at 12.45 and would dearly love to put some more pressure on the Blues but they have to take something from the trip in Manchester.

A win would really push Spurs to the fore but even a draw could keep them in the hunt as City will find three points hard to come by at the Emirates. Redknapp’s side look capable of scoring goals against anyone at the moment- Crouch, Defoe and Pavlyuchenko are all in decent form and give the manager a variety of options.

The star of the show recently has been Welsh left sider Gareth Bale; his marauding runs from left back or left midfield have created a host of chances for the strikers and kept the opposition on the back foot.

Bale was identified as a future star at Cardiff even before he left school but as a 17 year old he endured a difficult beginning in a Spurs team that performed poorly under Juande Ramos. Now confidence is restored and he’s adding a new dimension to Spurs play.

Wayne Rooney should be available to add vigour to United’s attack but Michael Dawson is winning plaudits at centre back in the absences of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate. With King possibly fit to play, the home team will find scoring hard work.

The hard fought win over Manchester City thrust United back into the title picture but they haven’t fired properly in their last three or four matches.

This game is a real shootout, because a defeat would ruin the chances of both sides in their respective races. Spurs have momentum after their performances against Arsenal and Chelsea and are unlikely to cave in with Champions League football in sight.

Related posts:

  1. How Chelsea Beat Manchester United to the Title
  2. Arsenal v Man United: Premiership Title Contenders Are Too Close To Call
  3. Premiership Predictions: Title Race is Wide Open Again


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