For many, it’s the biggest game in English football and
Manchester United can take a big step towards taking back their Premiership
title with a victory over Liverpool in the biggest and most fiercely contested
of derbies. Much attention in the build upto this game has been on Liverpool’s
talismanic and at times more Tasmanian forward Luis Suarez, but the impressive
record of Ferguson’s men this season and in this fixture seems to have gone unnoticed
in the buildup.
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| United maybe celebrating again with some Deja Vu and a helping hand from Van Persie |
21 points ahead of the Merseysiders after 21 games, United
are a whopping 7 points clear at the head of the league and have won eight of
their last 9 in the league, along with all but 1 of their games at Old
Trafford. Many have commented upon the leaks in United’s defence that have been
seen on numerous occasions this season but the fact of the matter is that no
team in England have been able to match them over the course of the season when
it comes to sheer attacking force. Although it’s largely thanks to Robin Van
Persie, United’s goal tally of 54 goals – 28 of them at Old Trafford – Is ridiculous
and It’s been 59 games since United
failed to score at home in the league (they lost 1-0 to Aston Villa in December
2009).
Obviously this is a game where form can sometimes go array,
but United have won the last three fixtures and seven of the last eight overall
in this head to head which gives great encouragement in terms of United being
able to handle the derby pressure. Admittedly they’ve been lucky not to lose
some of those fixtures but they have a pretty dominant record at Old Trafford
and in the biggest games of this season – winning at City, Chelsea, and Anfield
already while wiping asideWest Brom and Arsenal (sides directly ahead of
Liverpool in the table) – with relative ease.
Liverpool have been improving of late with two 3-0 wins in
their last two games, but you’ll struggle to see even QPR play worse than they
did and they should always be beating Sunderland at home. An away record which
shows just three wins in 10 matches is a cause for concern and their three
defeats on the road have all come to sides in the top 10 (Stoke, Tottenham and
West Brom). Indeed, they’ve not won any games on the road against the top half
of the Premier League this season, which does not bode well for a trip to the
best team in England based on all known evidence this season. While players such as Luis Suarez and Raheem
Sterling are more than capable of wreaking havoc against United’s rearguard,
Liverpool have let in 12 goals on their trips to Top 10 clubs this season and
simply have to be the bet at 19/20 once all evidence is weighed up. Three of
the last 4 games between the pair have gone United’s way by just the one goal
(all being 2-1 home wins) so look at both of those for value options.
Advice
4 pts Manchester United (19/20 general)
1 pt 2-1 Manchester United (9/1 Bet Victor, Stan James)
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