Weekend Outlook (17 Dec 2005)

Aston Villa vs Manchester United

"A single win does not a recovered team maketh." - JayWalk, 15 Dec 2005

So ManUtd get eliminated from the ECL, followed by a disastrous draw against Everton at home. Just when people are calling for Fergie's blood, ManUtd went ahead and responded with an emphatic 4-0 win over Wigan. Ok ok, so Wigan exactly a strong team to begin with but this is what is to be expected of ManUtd i.e. not to drop points during easy fixtures. Just look at Wigan. Granted that they were at the receiving end of a 4-0 drubbing but certainly nobody look down on them at all. They perform up to expectation. They picked up every single point from the weaker teams and for every point scalped off the big boys would be a bonus. Unfortunately, they failed to taken even a single point off the Top 5 but still, we don't fault them for their failures. After all, they are debutants in the EPL and they deserve every slack that we can give them. Besides, there is the optimistic hope that perhaps they will get lucky against the 6th.

Coming back to ManUtd, do we have the confidence to say that ManUtd is back to their best after the 4-0 victory? I am afraid, even as a fan, I can't honestly say that I am convinced thus far. Granted, I wish for them to win, win and win. As a level-headed punter, I am going to stay disciplined and keep my emotions in check.

The immediate road ahead for ManUtd should be relatively easy in theory. With the hectic festive fixtures, they should count themselve lucky to have a pretty healthy squad. The teams in the fixture are quite easy to deal with and if ManUtd wishes to restore my faith in them, they will have to pick up all the points spread in front of them. And the cherry on top? To beat Arsenal at Highbury on 3 January 2006. Mark that on your calendar, folks.

JayWalk The Talk: It is not a pretty picture as far as the Aston Villa teamsheet is concerned. Delaney may be back from injury but I think he still needs a few more reserve matches to regain match-fitness. Right on time, just when Melberg is injured. Good news for the Villians ahead of the festive schedule but certainly not soon enough for this coming match. The striker department has been overloaded lately and Kevin Philips' injury just added more woe and lagi more pressure on Angel and Baros to bring in the goals.

As for ManUtd, we are all anticipating when we are going to see the Babyface Assassin making his return. Louis Saha is back and the return of Solksjaer will mean full strength in the attack department. Question now is that with the number of strikers available, are they able to find the net better?

JayWalk The Walk: Bookies give Aston Villa 1/2 ball advantage and a 1.72 odds for ManUtd to overcome it. With the roller coaster ride that ManUtd is taking everybody, I believe even the bookies are clueless to what the outcome would be, they just pray as much as we punter, on the other side, that one side don't lose too badly against the other. I am going to continue to sit ManUtd out until they start to show some sort of consistency.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.