Midweek Preview: 29th March 2006

Manchester United vs West Ham United

"Tonight will be Man Utd's 7th win on the trot..." - Sheena, 29th March 2006


Ahhhh... West Ham. It's one of my favourite London clubs, mainly because of its famed youth system that has produced so many brilliant players like Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick, and in my book, any club that concentrates on homegrown talent instead of merely importing foreigners is a club that warrants respect.

However, despite the number and kind of players they produce, their best players are always snapped up by other clubs, which kind of consigns West Ham to the status of mediocrity.

This season, though, they have been the "other" surprise package, the one that quietly but steadily climbed up the table to safety and even a possible UEFA Cup slot while Wigan had been grabbing all the "fairytale" headlines. Wigan's achievements have been fantastic for a newly-promoted club, but none more so than West Ham. In fact, West Ham are only 1 point behind Wigan, but with a game in hand.

To be fair, while most people expected Wigan to go straight down (which they won't now), they actually foresaw that of the 3 newly-promoted teams, West Ham would be most likely to stay up - thus Wigan's hogging of headlines. This public confidence in West Ham is due in great part to manager Alan Pardew, who after just one season in charge in the Coca-Cola Championship, took the team up to the Premiership. Furthermore, working on a shoestring budget and concentrating mostly on developing homegrown players, he has moulded a cohesive, well-balanced team that shows great promise for now, the future, as well as for England in future World Cups and Euro's.

Perhaps the biggest testimony to the club's youth system and the manager's ability is the emergence of Marlon Harewood. Though he hardly attracts attention the way Wayne Rooney does, the 26-year-old is a talent in his own right. Without anyone really noticing, he has scored 14 goals in the Premiership, only 5 behind top scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy. Pacy, a menace in the air, and a good eye for goal, many have been clamouring for him to be included in the last England striking spot up for grabs. The club's other strikers, Dean Ashton has been a good buy from Norwich, as he adds a physical dimension to West Ham, and at 40, Teddy Sheringham is still as deadly as ever.

The focal point of tonight's match though, will be on the defensive battle between the Ferdinand brothers. Anton Ferdinand has the unenviable task of trying to stop Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha, while Rio Ferdinand will have to be on his toes to cut out Harewood and Ashton. Which brother will emerge victorious in marshalling their defence?

For me, it will probably be Rio. Man Utd have really picked up form in the last few weeks and it will take a truly catastrophic performance from the team, or a spellbinding one by West Ham, to halt them. Somehow I can't see West Ham, for all the talent they have, trampling Man Utd at Old Trafford. Man Utd should be able to win this comfortably by a single goal, possibly 2.


Player to watch (West Ham): Marlon Harewood. Rio has to forget about all the talk of the on-pitch "sibling rivalry" and really try to shut him down. Pace-wise, if Wes Brown isn't playing, only Rio can match Harewood, thus the onus will be on him to stop him.

Player to watch (Man Utd): Ruud van Nistelrooy, if he plays, and it is very likely he will. Having been left out for 5 matches, he will be hungry and raring to go. He will also be desperate to claim his starting berth back, and his name on the scoresheet should give Sir Alex pause.


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.

Weekend Outlook (26 Mar 2006) - Supplement

"For the third time, Benitez is an idiot." - JayWalk, 26 Mar 2006

Just got back from my golf tournament and my thanks to Sheena for covering this weekend.

My only fear is that with 3 games in hand, ManUtd has no sense of urgency. I would like very much for them to nail Liverpool's coffin shut as soon as possible so that everyone can have an early rest ahead of the world cup.

Good news is that Steven Gerrard was sent off in the Merseyside derby which would mean a 1-match suspension next week against West Brom. While West Brom may not be the strongest of teams right now but they are definitely fighting harder than the teams above them as they hang precariously above the relegation zone. While the relegation candidates (Sunderland, Portsmouth and Birmingham) looked pretty certain at this point and especially so after Birmingham expecting to get mauled by ManUtd, it is always better to maintain a buffer in between. Granted that Liverpool are way ahead of them in the league table, I am hoping that West Brom's home advantage would be able to allow the Baggies to steal at least a point which would mean Liverpool dropping 2.

I have to correct Sheena here on her view of the Birmingham 0-7 thrashing by Liverpool in the FA Cup tie. Birmingham may not be the stellar team that they wish to be right now but neither are they that terrible to deserve the unflattering scoreline. To their defence, it must be said that Birmingham threw away the FA Cup game ahead of this EPL one. It was a strategic decision. Premiership survivor is priority over the FA Cup. On this aspect alone, I think Bruce is a smarter lad than Benitez.

Yes, I am sore about getting knocked out of FA Cup by Liverpool but at what price to Liverpool? To be objective, I think it is stupid to try to gun for all 3 (EPL, FA Cup & ECL) when it is obvious that Liverpool does not have enough mettle to pull it off. Benfica is not exactly a difficult team to beat in the ECL arena and yet Liverpool lost. With hindsight, wouldn't things be different with Benfica, had Liverpool rest up and throw the FA Cup game against ManUtd?

It would be a win-win. No? ManUtd gets to go ahead with the FA Cup while Liverpool keep their defence of the ECL alive (which also means more money for staying in the lucrative tournament).

For the third time, Benitez is an idiot.

JayWalk The Walk: A repeat mauling of Birmingham is in the cards today as ManUtd gets ready to unleash the lions on the Brummies battered gladiators in the colosseum of Old Trafford.

Here's the injury/suspended list of Birmingham

Goalie - Taylor
Defenders - Clapham, Upson
Midfielders - Butt, Izzet, Gray, Jarosik, Nafti
Fowards - Heskey, Sutton

Total Headcount - 10

A look at the name and you will notice that each and everyone is a pivotal player of the team. Taylor is their No.1 goalie. Heskey and Jarosik are Birmingham No.1 and 2 top scorers. Butt is joint 3rd with 2 goals. Imagine a tower with 10 of the pillars missing. The outcome is going to be bloody.

JayWalk The Talk: Bookies are upping the handicap odds to 1-3/4 ball in favour of Birmingham and a decimal odds of 1.85 for ManUtd to beat it. Granted that ManUtd only needed a 1-0 scoreline to claim the 3-points but they probably would go all out to grab a big scoreline as an insurance. An insurance in the event of Liverpool and ManUtd tie on points, there will be the advantage of the superior goal difference to nick it. As of today, ManUtd's superior goal difference of 9 goals over Liverpool has just been sliced to just 6. ManUtd would need to score big to restore that gap.

Another factor pointing towards a big scoreline today is that we have 3 strikers on fire fighting for 2 places. This will be a time where a single stutter would means getting the bench next week. Expect Saha to continue to score and thus keep Van Nistelrooy on the bench.

While Rooney is a virtual shoo-in for the World Cup England squad, van Nistelrooy and Saha have yet to make themselves a convincing case for selection. There is still work to be done for them.

I would recommend taking ManUtd today, only if you are a hard-core fan. For the more disciplined, I would recommend staying away as there are other games to punt on and at a lower risk margin.

p.s. I will be watching Ronaldo instead.

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.

Weekend Preview: 26th March 2006

Manchester United vs Birmingham

"Every season there will be one team that doesn't deserve to go down, but it does. This season, it's Birmingham." - Sheena, 25th March 2006


What a gloomy prediction for Brum even before the match begins. But no matter how much I like Steve Bruce, the fact is, gloom for Birmingham means joy for Man Utd tomorrow night, 11 pm Singapore time.

After a doesn't-sound-good-but-was-more-than-convincing 2 - 1 win against another old boy's - Bryan Robson - team in midweek, we are up against another old boy. The difference between them is that each time West Brom are up in the Premiership, we almost expect them to go straight back down again. Whereas Birmingham, though never European material, were at least always steady non-relegation material. Whatever happened to it?

As for Man Utd, Sir Alex probably took a gamble dropping our proven goal-poacher Ruud van Nistelrooy, with a return of 148 goals in about 200+ games - a phenomenal record - and replacing him with Louis Saha. Sure, Saha was in hot form during the Carling Cup fixtures against lower-division teams, but has he ever really been tested at Premiership level before getting injured? Happily, the gamble has paid off, and Saha now has 10 goals in 9 starts.

I suspect Sir Alex will continue fielding Saha and Rooney until Saha has a dip in form. Though that is the sensible decision, especially given Man Utd's profligacy in front of goal in the last few matches, I'd be lying if I didn't say I wanted van Nistelrooy back in the team. Hopefully sitting out a few matches will make him sharper and fresher, so that when he gets back, he'll be really hungry for goals. And that can only be good for the team.

A win for Brum tonight would put them on par with West Brom, but both teams would still be stuck in the bottom three. However, that seems a highly unlikely scenario. Man Utd have won their last 5 domestic matches, while Brum have lost 4 and won only 1 - against Sunderland. And to be brutally honest, it isn't hard to win against Sunderland. But it is hard to win against a resurgent Man Utd, with a red-hot Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in free-flowing form.

Having just been thrashed 0 - 7 by Liverpool in the FA Cup, morale in the Birmingham team will be at an all-time low, and no matter how much their manager and fans try to fire them up and get them to respond to it, you can tell from the way they play that they're a team already resigned to their fate. Manchester United, on the other hand, will be eager to pounce on that slip-up by Chelsea against Fulham and cut their lead to 9 points. Even if Chelsea wins the championship again this season, at least the second automatic qualifying Champions League spot is secured.

From the way I see it, Man Utd have more to play for, and they are on a roll. This game is a foregone conclusion. The only question is, how many goals can Man Utd win by. 2? 3? 4? Take your pick.


Player to watch (Man Utd): Louis Saha, duh. 'Nuff said.

Player to watch (Birmingham): They have some good players in their ranks - Maik Taylor, Matthew Upson, Chris Sutton are just some of them. But the player to watch is Nicky Butt, on loan from Newcastle, if he plays. Butt has always been admired by the Old Trafford faithful for his tireless, combative style, and it will be good to see him on the Old Trafford pitch again.


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.

Weekend Outlook ( 18 Mar 2006)

West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United

"...I am expecting Solksjaer, Silvestre and Richardson to be among the first to be shown the door..."

- JayWalk, 18 Mar 2006

A little bit of trivia here. These days we call West Bromwich Albion, "West Brom" for short. In the early days, we used to address it as "W.B.A.".

West Brom has had a special relationship with ManUtd as far as history is concerned. Fergie's predecessor, Ron (Big Ron) Atkinson was a manager from West Brom before coming over to Old Trafford. Despite winning a few FA Cups, he was eventually replaced by Fergie as the Board of Management felt that it just wasn't enough without the league title.

Coincidentally, West Brom's manager today is none other than ex-ManUtd Captain Marvel, Bryan Robson. Robson played for West Brom before Atkinson brought him over for a record-breaking 7 million 1.5 pounds sterling. It may not sound a lot by today's yardstick but it was helluva lot of money back then.

On the League Table-front, Liverpool closed the gap on ManUtd to just 2 points when the Reds played an extra game in mid-week and won 5-1 over Fulham at Anfield. Granted one may say that ManUtd, as a result, has 2 games-in-hand but let us not forget that games-in-hand doesn't automatically convert to instant points. Those games would still have to be won in order to collect. Having said that, the bad news is that ManUtd's mathematical target of 25 points has not change for this week as Liverpool did not drop points during midweek. However, Liverpool not known to do well when traveling away after a mid-week exertion should be expected to drop 2 points (or hopefully 3 points) at St James' Park on Sunday. Still, let's not count the chickens before they are hatched.

On our part, we can edge our goal closer to 22 points when we win today and just keep our fingers crossed for the next 24-hours. Any additional points dropped by Liverpool shall be counted as a bonus i.e. take it as a gift and not an entitlement.

At the other end, West Brom is flirting with relegation. With the 3 newly promoted teams expected, at the beginning of the season, to go back down, West Brom thought that Premiership survival should be a piece of cake, based on that simple assumption. Oh how West Brom has thought wrong! With West Ham and Wigan Athletic currently in the top half of the table and having crossed the magic 40-point mark, West Brom is only starting to realise the urgency of the matter. However, with only 9 games to go, it may be too little and too late.

JayWalk The Talk: On another note, Ruud van Nistelrooy has been on the speculation rumour mill of late and it is not a good sign for the team. When the striker gets benched for one match, we call it squad rotation. But when the Dutch striker gets benched for three consecutive matches, I say something is not right in the changing room.

Sir Alex Ferguson, known for his fiery temper, is a stickler for discipline within the ranks, regardless of how pivotal the player is to the team. Those notable names receiving the infamous Fergie Boot are McGrath, Whiteside, Kanchelskis, Stam, Ince, Beckham, Keane and van Nistelrooy if the Dutch doesnt' get in line soon. This is where I admire Fergie. This guy's got backbone, I tell you.

It didn't help matter when Saha and Rooney are partnering immaculately with the team scoring 8 goals in the 3 games that van Nistelrooy is benched.

Anyway, Queiroz' statement on Friday said that van Nistelrooy is not leaving Old Trafford but I think it may just be a PR damage control session ahead of today's match. My question is "Why Queiroz and not Fergie to give this statement?"

Did I mention that Luiz Ronaldo should be available next season?

Whatever it is, let hope this issue gets resolved quickly for it is not doing anybody any good.

Squad-wise, West Brom sick list looked pretty bad with Gera, Quashie and Robinson unavailable. ManUtd side will have Brown, Smith, Heinze, Fortune and Solksjaer on theirs. Scholes has made a surprise return to the training ground but I don't think he is ready for the big league yet. O'Shea's return should be a big boost to the squad today as well.

Watch out for Jonathan Greening today as the former ManUtd youngster has an axe to grind with Fergie. Expect him to play with much vigor as he would want to prove Fergie wrong in letting him go. If Inamoto gets onto the pitch today, then we may have a Japan vs South Korea game with Inamoto facing off Park in the battle of midfield.

Looking beyond this season, other then the motivation to want to shine brightly for their respective country managers to select them for the World Cup squad, the players at Old Trafford may be working harder than usual for a different reason. Avoid the axe during summer housekeeping.

While we are aware the Fergie and Queiroz have already started rebuilding the ManUtd team, what is not known is that they have now enter the stage to identify which players to bring in, which players to hold on and more critically (from the player's perspective) which players to eject.

I am expecting Solksjaer, Silvestre and Richardson to be among the first to be shown the door. Then again, there is still quite a bit of time between now and the "retrenchment" exercise for the players to buck up and starting earning their keep.

JayWalk The Walk: ManUtd is giving up 1-ball for this game with a decimal odds of 1.90 to beat it. Head to head, West Brom has not won ManUtd in the last 4 encounters conceding an average of 2.5 goals. With ManUtd on a streak of 4 consecutive wins (11 goals for, 4 goals against) against West Brom with 4 consecutive games without a win (3 goals for, 11 goals against*), I say it would be a stroll in the park for ManUtd to win comfortably.

* West Brom lost to Fulham at Craven Cottage 1-6 on 11 Feb 2006)

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.

Weekend Outlook (12 Mar 2006)

Manchester United vs Newcastle United

"... Baby-face Assasin's season and career is more or less over already."

- JayWalk, 12 Mar 2006

ManUtd were very lucky last week as they held on to the 3-points by the skins of their teeth. It was one of those footballing quirks that one team lost despite scoring more goals. Go figure.

I tipped my hat to Wigan for putting up a fine display against ManUtd eventhough they have nothing to play for, as far as the rest of this season is concerned. My respect to them for playing their hearts out and not succumbed to the temptation of an early vacation.

To the slighly more observant readers, you would have noticed that I have been harping on Liverpool's case for quite some time now, even though there isn't another Liverpool-ManUtd fixture as far as this season goes. Why keep talking about them?

For starters, I just want to continue with the follow-up of my theory about how ManUtd has not only broken Liverpool's winning streak but also started the Scousers' downward spiral.

And also the obviously fact that Liverpool is the only other contender for the Runner-Up spot which grants the auto-qualification to the ECL proper. Given that playing an additional ECL qualifier may mean extra money in term of gate receipts (more so when ManUtd's capacity has recently gone up to 76,000), there is still the risk of failing at the first hurdle. A mere potential of GBP 3 million is not worth the risk of not getting into the ECL.

Liverpool will be traveling to Highbury today. A sharp contrast between the sides during midweek. Liverpool failed in their defence of the ECL while Arsenal triumphantly ended the era of the Galaticos. The Reds has won only 5 away games in their last 13 and scored only 5 goals in their last 10 games. Arsenal on the other hand has scored 12 in their last 10 games, which means a single cock-up by the Liverpool goalie is enough for them to return empty-handed. I predict a Liverpool defeat for their strikers are firing blanks. Arsenal probably need just a single goal to claim all 3 points.

The point I am making here is that with Liverpool expected to drop points today again, it should leave them with with 55 points and only 8 games to go. Doing the math and you will find Liverpool, with a potential maximum possible of 82 points, means ManUtd is only 25 points away. That roughly translate to about 8 wins and 2 draws in ManUtd's final 10 games to secure 2nd spot. For every subsequent match that Liverpool drop points (assuming ManUtd held steady), the final destination will be sooner.

Truth to be told, I was rooting for Liverpool to beat Benfica during midweek in the hope that they will prolong their distraction away from the EPL. Well, the consolation with their exit, is that they still have the FA Cup to obsess with. With Chelsea still in the running for the Double, Liverpool chances of winning is close to zilch. Still, like a moth to an open flame, Liverpool should still be committing resources towards this cup tournament, at the expense of focusing on the EPL race.

For those punting the Arsenal-Liverpool match. Go for Goal-Under (less than 2.5 goals) for Liverpool has been Goal-Under in 9 of their last 10 games.

JayWalk The Talk: Ironically with the match against Newcastle, I am only talking about them so late into this article. No disrespect to a worthy opponent but the outcome of Liverpool game today against another team, is a bigger concern for us.

Now, talking about Newcastle who is currently the form team of the moment as they are unbeaten in their last 5 games (4 wins out of 5). Still, the Geordies find themselve languishing at the bottom half of the table which only shows that Newcastle is not really that big of a threat. ManUtd's form has been erratic but somehow still managed to scrape in the points when it is needed. Looking at both teams closely and you will find them somewhat similar. Both are strong in attack with the evergreen Shearer leading the Toon scorers while we have van Nistelrooy, Saha and Rooney on the ManUtd side. In midfield, both sides are also short-handed due to injuries with Kieron Dyer limping off on 23 Feb. Defence-wise, Newcastle has a bigger problem with Carr, Bramble and Taylor all on the injured list.

ManUtd's injury list looked to be clearing up for the joy is only short-lived. Solksjaer brief return to the pitch is marred by yet another injury. I think Baby-face Assasin's season and career is more or less over already. I doubt if ManUtd will renew his contract during the next round of negotiations. Fortune is less fortunate (no pun intended) with the African defence-midfielder playing only 2 reserve games before getting carried off the pitch again. End of season for the poor lad, if you ask me.

JayWalk The Walk: Head-to-head, ManUtd won all 4 recent encounters, each scoring 2 goals or more. With Owen still out of action, it should be Shearer partnering Ameobi up front. However, the irony is that the older striker seems to be the one able to complete the full 90 minutes of the game. Expect Lugue to come on as a substitute for Ameobi some time during the game. Doesn't spell a lot of confidence for the Toon attack, does it?

Bookie Odds is ManUtd giving up 1 ball, although I felt that a 3/4-ball handicap would have been fairer. Still decimal odds point to 1.90 for ManUtd to beat the odds and that tells me that it should be a victory for the home side and at least a 2-goal margin no less.

Worst case scenario should still be a win for ManUtd but by a single-goal margin. In that case, punting on ManUtd would still get your money back and so I think ManUtd is the way to go today.

Besides, ManUtd would want to extend their lead away from Liverpool today and further bury Liverpool's coffin by consolidating the game-in-hand on 29 Mar against West Ham at Old Trafford.

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.

Weekend Outlook (6 Mar 2006)

Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United

"...I think they will win this by another handsome margin. 2 goals at least."

- JayWalk, 5 Mar 2006

The result over at Anfield is Liverpool 0 - 0 Charlton Athletic. What did I tell you about Liverpool spreading itself too thin and starting a spiral of points-dropping? Now that's 2 screw-ups in 3 games and I think Liverpool won't make past Benfica this coming mid-week either to make it 3-in-4. Scoring only 4 miserable goals in the last 6 games, things are bleak for the Reds. Again, I reiterate that Benitez is a stupid idiot.

Sure Liverpool are in second place now but it is merely a point ahead with ManUtd having 2 games in hand. Oh how the tides has changed!

On the European front, it looks like none of the English clubs will get past this midweek and it is certainly bad news for ManUtd. Should these clubs carry onto the Quarter, semi or even the finals, it would spell "continued distraction" for these teams while ManUtd stealthily chalk up the points in the background.

With the Carling Cup in the bag, ManUtd's team poster for next season will look a little bit better with a small little trophy displayed proudly in front. Before you go on to think that ManUtd has nothing to play for, think again. There is still a mathematical chance of catching Chelsea (though I won't hold my breath for it), failure-which there is the Runner-Up spot to consolidate. This is certainly not the time to be complacent as we have seen Liverpool when they go on a freaky streak. Better to be cautious in this aspect.

To top it off, each individual players will be playing their best from now till the final World Cup team selection is announced. Everybody will be on their best in the hope of impressing their respective gaffers, hoping to be picked to go to Germany.

Players like Rooney, Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy, Van der Sar, Neville, Park and Ferdinand would be virtual shoo-ins as far as the World Cup squad list is concerned but the rest of the players like Silvestre, Saha, Heinze and Brown will have to continue to put in the effort as they fight for the remaining spots on the plane. It's a pity though to see Smith missing out due to the horrific injury at Anfield though.

Speaking of "nothing to play for", this would be the case for Wigan. With 40 points in the bag, there is no way of relegation. On the same token, they are destined for mid-table finish after chalking up only 3 wins in their last 10 matches. As for the spot in the UEFA Cup, it's theirs as long as ManUtd secures, and very likely if I may add, the spot to next season's Champions League. Early vacation for Wigan? I certainly think so.

JayWalk The Talk: There have been 3 instances where ManUtd played their opponents in quick succession e.g. 2 games against Birmingham in the space of 1 week, 3 games against Blackburn in the space of 3 weeks and 2 games against Liverpool in the space of 3 weeks. Not once did ManUtd managed a 100% win. Now we have 2 Wigan matches in the space of 1 week. Could there be a jinx?

Recent head to head shows that ManUtd triumphed over Wigan by an emphatic score of 4-0 each but it has to be said that both games have been won at Old Trafford. There has been no record of ManUtd's performance against Wigan at The JJB Stadium.

Ryan Taylor is out for Wigan while van Nistelrooy is down with flu. Looks like it would be the same bunch of people on the pitch again.

JayWalk The Walk: The real problem with Wigan now, other than the vacation mood kicking in, is that they have a hard time scoring goals (albeit still better than Liverpool). 7 goals is all they have in the last 8 games. This in contrast to ManUtd's 18 goals in the last 8 games.

Will ManUtd break the jinx? I not only think that they will win this just to get back to 2nd spot, I think they will win this by another handsome margin. 2 goals at least.

So at the very generous 3/4 ball handicap against ManUtd, this should be a stroll in the park for the Red Devils.

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.