Arsenal vs Manchester United
FreeThe first of the two Champions League 2nd leg matches takes place tonight with Arsenal hosting Manchester United. Having lost to the current holders in the first leg, Arsenal have no choice but to take the game to Manchester United tonight. However, this isn’t a new experience for them, given that their football is generally very attacking. Having beaten Manchester United here earlier on this season, Arsenal will be aware that they can win this game. Having said that, I can’t quite recall the last time Manchester United didn’t score at this ground, nor that Arsenal won by more than a solitary goal. If that is the case tonight, Arsenal are out. I don’t think I’m being unfair when I say that Manchester United are the better side with considerably more strength in depth. Arsenal’s side are generally very young, eager but rather inexperienced. I think this could play an important role tonight, as you can see experienced footballers throughout Manchester United’s ranks. The one place Arsenal might be able to attack with persistent success is down Manchester United’s right-hand side. The right-back role has been somewhat an Achilles heel for the champions this season, with regular defenders Wes Brown and Gary Neville both being ruled out with long injuries frequently throughout the season. Rafael da Silva has had a few injuries also, and couple that with being young, inexperienced and having a tendency to lunge into tackles – he tends to leave that side exposed, particularly if he has someone in front of him like Nani who doesn’t track back. From that perspective, Arsenal could cause some serious damage. That said, I think Ferguson will play John O’Shea there who is generally reliable but occasionally plays some stupid passes. The other point worth considering is that Arsenal are still missing a lot of players. Arshavin is cup-tied, Van Persie is a doubt etc. Frankly, as a Manchester United fan, nothing will make me happier to see Nicklas Bendtner up front for the hosts because he’s arguably the worst striker I’ve ever seen in an Arsenal shirt.
After much consideration, I can’t help but feel this game will be nothing like the encounter in the league earlier on this season. I don’t think it’ll be anywhere near as open. I expect a much tighter, compact game with a fair amount of yellow cards born out of frustration. I can see both sides scoring, which is atypical for an encounter between these two sides. However, I just don’t think Arsenal will have enough to win the game and I don’t think Manchester United will be bothered enough to win the game, thus a draw being the most likely outcome. My favourite bet of the day, risky though it is, has to be to go under 2.5 goals for the game.
Tuesday’s Picks
My tips:
On the face of things, today appears to be a day for the away teams! That tends to either spell disaster or mean some very good wins, so fingers crossed!
There’s three bets that stand out for me today. The best value has to be in a trio of away wins in the Romanian Liga for Steaua Bucharest, Dinamo Bucharest, and Unirea Urziceni. I really like the look of this one!
The second bet worth considering is a Scandinavian treble containing Skeid Oslo, AIK Solna and Halmstads. Whereas I don’t rate the chances of this one quite as highly as the other, I still think there’s a good chance and the odds should be very good, so a small wager may be worthwhile here.
The last bet I’d consider would be a 3-team draw bet containing Arsenal vs Manchester United, Vannes OC vs Chateauroux and Budapest Honved vs MTK Budapest. You should get about 60/1 on this occurring so a small punt could prove worthwhile, although draws are certainly the scourge of many a tipster!
UEFA Champions League:
Arsenal vs Manchester United (7) 1-1
French Ligue 2:
Vannes OC vs Chateauroux (7)
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Budapest Honved vs MTK Budapest (6) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Szombathelyi Haladas vs Fehervar (7) 2-1
Norwegian Adeccoligaen:
Skeid Oslo vs Honefoss (7)
Romanian Liga:
Otelul Galati vs Dinamo Bucharest (8) 0-2
Gloria Bistrita vs Brasov (6) 1-2
Farul Constanta vs Unirea Urziceni (8) 1-2
Gloria Buzau vs Steaua Bucharest (9) 0-2
Swedish Allsvenskan:
Trelleborgs vs AIK Solna (7) 1-2
Hacken Goteborg vs Halmstads (7) 0-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!