The away sides have prospered in those regional clashes as well with Liverpool upsetting Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates while QPR put their 4-0 thrashing on the opening day behind them with a surprise 1-0 victory at Everton.

United of course opened their title defence with a 2-1 win at West Brom and, given their record at Old Trafford last season, it is no surprise to see them installed as 8/13 favourites in the match betting.

However, there is a case to be made for Harry Redknapp’s side causing an upset on the road at a big price of 5/1, with the draw on offer at 14/5 – if you forget Spurs’ wretched run against the Red Devils.

Summer signing David De Gea has come under fire following less than convincing performances for United in the Community Shield and opening Premier League game and is sure to be nervous as he tries to fill the shoes of Edwin Van der Sar.

Add to that the fact that the first-choice central defensive pair of captain Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have both been ruled out with injury, while right-back Rafael Da Silva is sidelined for 10 weeks, and De Gea will have a new-look defence in front of him.

Jonny Evans looks likely to be partnered by Phil Jones at centre-back with Chris Smalling continuing to fill in on the right, although there is some good news for Ferguson as Patrice Evra looks set to return from a knee injury.

Javier Hernandez is also unavailable with concussion sustained pre-season so there are worries for United – and it appears to be a question of whether Spurs can capitalise.

This will be Spurs’ first game in the Premier League as their scheduled opener was called off due to the riots but they did enjoy a comfortable run out in midweek with a 5-0 win at Hearts in the Champions League qualifying first leg.

Chelsea target Luka Modric is available again after missing that game with a groin problem, providing a massive boost for Harry Redknapp, who will be without Ledley King, William Gallas and Alan Hutton, while Peter Crouch faces a fitness test on an ankle problem.

Rafael van der Vaart and Jermain Defoe both scored in the midweek rout and are both on offer at a tempting 8/1 to open the scoring at Old Trafford, although United will not afford them the time and space they enjoyed against the Jambos.

Wayne Rooney opened his account against West Brom and is the 7/2 favourite as First/Last goalscorer but United were far from impressive as they struggled to the victory.

Rooney’s goal, according to Opta, was the only effort on target for United, and they are sure to need more to take maximum points against a side looking to get back into the Champions League.

This fixture though is at Old Trafford and United are a different beast on home territory, winning 18 of 19 matches there last season on their way to claiming a record 19th title.

Spurs also have an awful record against United and have not won any of their last 24 matches against Sir Alex Ferguson’s men – last tasting victory with a 3-1 at White Hart Lane ten years ago.

Die-hard Lilywhites’ fans may find it difficult to remember their last success in Manchester as it came 22 years ago with a 1-0 success, while this fixture last year ended 2-0 to the home side.

However if you can put that run to the back of your mind, 5/1 on the away win offers good value, particularly with inexperience running through the United rearguard – while the game looks like it will offer plenty of goals.

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Goals from skipper Scott Brown and Kris Commons were enough to seal the victory for the Bhoys at Rugby Park – a result which closed the gap on Rangers to a solitary point.

The Gers themselves had put in a similarly impressive performance on Saturday, beating third-place Hearts 4-0 at Ibrox, to place them firmly in the driving seat with only two games to go in a season which has seen the top spot in the league switch from club to club on numerous occasions (Rangers now 4/11 to win the title).

Both sides face tough fixtures in the coming week, however, and have both already lost to the respective teams they play earlier in the campaign. Rangers host to Dundee United at Ibrox on Tuesday night – a match they lost 3-2 earlier in the season thanks to two goals from Scotland international striker David Goodwillie.

The Gers have struggled at times this season due to their relatively light squad but are now back to full strength after the return of the likes of Majid Bougherra and Lee McCulloch after injury lay-offs (Rangers 2/9 to beat Dundee United).

Celtic, meanwhile, travel to Tynecastle to face Hearts on Wednesday who themselves will be looking to bounce back after their disappointing result against the champions over the weekend (Celtic 4/9 to claim the victory).

Hearts beat Celtic 2-1 in the same fixture earlier this season in a match that was marred by controversy and saw Neil Lennon receive a touchline ban after a scuffle between both players and officials.

Hearts are always a difficult proposition, especially at home, and with the likes of Rudi Skacel and young winger David Templeton in attack, they have the ability to unlock any side.

Celtic will, of course, be doing all they can to secure the victory as they aim to take the title race to the last day of the season and will be looking to inspirational captain Scott Brown to lead them to victory. Top-scorer Gary Hooper could also be a key man and seems to have a habit of scoring important goals at crucial times for Lennon’s side.

The midweek fixtures look set to be the ones to decide the title race as both look to have relatively easy matches on the final day of the season – Celtic host Motherwell while Rangers, in what will be Walter Smith’s last game in charge before Ally McCoist takes over, travel to Kilmarnock.

If both sides win their midweek games, which is likely, it will undoubtedly mean an exciting last-day climax to what has certainly been a thrilling battle between the old foes at the top once again.

But Rangers, with the point advantage, have the upper hand and we expect them to end the season on top with two wins out of their final two games while Celtic, who should also take a maximum six points from the available six, look set for heartache and appear destined to miss out by just the single point when the season draws to a close in a weeks’ time.

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Leo Messi and Xavi turned in star performances on Saturday night to claim a 4-1 win against Villareal in what looked like being a tricky fixture for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Villareal did indeed pose a threat early on with Brazilian Nilmar missing two great chances after some excellent individual skill but the truth was that Barcelona were simply too good.

As soon as Messi registered the first goal the confidence grew and Villareal were helpless against the individual quality on show in the Barcelona shirt. Xavi scored a magnificent free-kick from 30 yards out to make it 2-0 and put Barcelona on their way to an important three points in the quest for La Liga success.

Now Barcelona must take another step towards winning the league title with what should be a straight forward win at the Nou Camp against relegation threatened Tenerife tonight.

Tenerife earned themselves a life line at the weekend with a 2-1 win at home against fellow relegation fodder Racing Santander. The victory has taken them to just two points behind the three sides immediately above them. They certainly have something to play for when they travel to Camp Nou.

As far as Barcelona are concerned, they will be delighted to be playing a side they have managed to score 13 goals past – without reply – in the last three meetings. Back in October Barcelona routed Tenerife 5-0 with Messi grabbing a hat-trick. A similar score line could be on the cards this time round too.

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Related posts:

1. With Messi, Barcelona can snipe la Liga success with victory over Villareal
2. No change at the top as Barca, Real and Valencia all win
3. Barca Edge El Clasico To Regain Top Spot

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