Weekend Outlook (12 Jan 2008)

Manchester United vs Newcastle United

"...the next month is going to be to our advantage as our opponents will be losing African players to the African Nations Cup...."

- JayWalk, 11 Jan 2008

We won comfortably last week over Aston Villa in the FA Cup 3rd Round match and that was good.

Stats-wise, we were all over them but I would have preferred if we maintained more possession.

It was a good thing we won and got things over and done with. Hence we don't have to deal with the redundant replays like Liverpool against Luton Town. Every unnecessary match we play, we risk exhaustion and injuries. Really not worth it. Sew up everything within 90 minutes is the best way to navigate through the already jam packed fixtures.

Looking ahead, the next month is going to be to our advantage as our opponents will be losing African players to the African Nations Cup. With Quinton Fortune being the last of the African players to leave the club, we will be playing at full strength against teams missing key players.

JayWalk The Talk: We will be missing Wes Brown due to suspension but Gary Neville is still not ready for top tier football despite an excellent showing in mid week's reserve game. I think Simpson will be handed another rare start this week alongside O'Shea, Ferdinand and Vidic.

Park is back and so no problem in the midfield department while we wait for reports with regards to Tevez's minor ankle injury to see if we can continue to field the winning combination of the stocky duo. Otherwise, it's Saha and Rooney up front.

Speaking of the bane of the African Nations Cup, Newcastle will be missing Beye, Faye and Geremi while Martins is 50-50 pending Nigeria's green light to release him. Carr, Emre and Milner are all injured with the departure of Allardyce as the cherry on top, in our favour.

JayWalk The Walk: Newcastle is already pretty screwed coming to Old Trafford, a place that they have never won in 36 years. We also happen to be the team to beat them the most in Premier League encounters with a immaculate record of 16 wins.

Bookies are making ManUtd to give a 1.75-ball handicap with a decimal odds of 1.975 to beat it. The way I see it, I expect the decimal odds to go down further as we get nearer to kick off which is an excellent sign of confidence on the home side.

Normally, I would shun 1.75-ball handicaps but given the fact that Newcastle's poor away form is further aggravated with the loss of Allardyce, I say let's go for ManUtd to bring home the 3-points and the wager.

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.