Manchester United may have been knocked off the top of the table by rivals Manchester City on Saturday, but with only goal difference separating the top two, a Red Devils victory against Fulham on Monday will fire them three points clear.
With the title race entering its final stages, things have begun to heat up between the two Manchester sides at the top of the Premier League.
The war of words off the field is well and truly on after Sir Alex Ferguson angrily responded to claims by City’s Football Development Executive Patrick Vieira that bringing Paul Scholes out of retirement was an act of desperation.
The Scot duly criticised City’s decision to bring Carlos Tevez back into the fold after his self-imposed exile, the United boss also insisting he had ‘plenty of ammunition’ to throw back at City should they continue to engage in mind games.
Entering mind games is all part of Ferguson’s and United’s well-worn path to title glory, which obviously includes a strong finish in the run-in.
While City appear to be floundering, United are clicking into top gear at the right time, winning 25 points from a possible 27 since losing back-to-back games at the turn of the year.
They are also doing so in fine style – the Red Devils have scored 73 goals in 29 league games, the most by any top-flight club at this stage of the season since Tottenham in 1963-64.
Fulham meanwhile go into this game hoping to bounce back after two successive defeats – the latest a 3-0 home hammering by Swansea.
However, Old Trafford is probably the worst ground for the Cottagers to go to looking for a win – they have only avoided defeat there once in 49 years, a 3-1 victory in 2003.
Since then, United have racked up eight consecutive home wins over the Londoners, scoring 22 goals.
It isn’t surprising therefore that United are just 2/9 for the victory, meaning you will have to look elsewhere for betting value.
With 10 goals in his last eight league and cup games, Wayne Rooney simply cannot be ignored in the first scorer markets. He is 5/2 to score first, with the odds of 11/4 to score two or more also worth considering.
It is also worth noting that the Red Devils have won nine penalties this season, more than any other team. So the 9/2 on offer for United to score from the spot could be a more creative punt.
Fulham have failed to score in their last four games at the home of the Champions and their only goal in the previous match was an own goal by Rio Ferdinand. So the correct score markets to nil in United’s favour are my tips.
United (4/5 to win to nil) have scored two or more goals in each of their last 15 league games so the 2-0 United correct score at odds of 11/2 is worth backing.
However, given Fulham’s woes in the North West, the 13/2 on offer for a 3-0 home win is my prediction.
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With the transfer merry-go-round put on the back-burner for another three months or so, the players can now get their minds back on football and the immediate focus is on the international scene with vital Euro 2012 qualifiers coming up on Friday as England (1/8 Group G Winner) look to maintain their position at the top of their group.