Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
FreeJust the one game interests me today and that’s the English League Cup tie at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The two sides met in the same competition last season in a terrifyingly boring game and more of the same is expected tonight.
You see, most football associations organise just one Cup tournament, which is more than sufficient. However, the English Football Association decided that more revenue was required and thus England has two domestic cups, which is fairly pointless as nobody really cares about this competition.
Manchester United have won this competition for two years running without really trying as nobody cares about it. To be honest, United may be more inclined to win it this year if their unconvincing displays continue as Chelsea have to be favourites to win the English Premier League. However, that won’t stop Fergusion using his usual squad rotation tactics for this game so expect mass changes here. I’d argue the case that Manchester United do have the biggest squad in the division so this game will not be a massive obstacle for them in terms of finding players to play as some players are returning from injury, some are unfit, and some simply need a game. I expect the likes of Brown, Carrick, Kuszczak, Owen, and Gibson to start this game with the above in mind and to be honest, United should field a side strong enough to dominate possession. However, United’s problem in these type of games is putting the ball in the net, something that they have to rely upon Michael Owen to do. As much as I dislike the scouse bastard, he knows how to find the net if he gets the service so United should have enough experience and ability to edge this one tonight.
However, Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side simply don’t understand the term “surrender”. His sides are extremely well-motivated and this one will be tonight too. Wolves are never an easy side to score against as they have a side full of well-marshalled and tenacious players so they are not the rubbing rags that people once assumed they were. Indeed, Wolves impressed me an awful lot by giving Chelsea a very good game at Stamford Bridge on saturday so I expect something similar tonight. That said, Wolves have one fatal flaw; goalscoring. They have some good strikers – Doyle, Fletcher, Ebanks-Blake etc. – but they simply do not score enough goals. Wolves always pose a potent threat from set pieces and will simply not give up at any point in this game but are they going to be blown away by their superior hosts tonight? I doubt it. It takes a very good display for Wolves to be blown away and I don’t believe that the team Fergie fields tonight will be capable of that so I think we’re in for another mind-numbingly boring game between these two sides in the League Cup!
So yeah – if you had your heart set on watching this game tonight for some bizarre reason then I’d do something else as I expect it to be quite terrible. Indeed, show some pity to those of us that will be there i.e. me! I expect United to win the game, ultimately, but there isn’t any value in United winning the game at such short odds with what should be a very under-strength side. I expect a 1-0 or 2-0 scoreline here but for me, the odds of 29/20 on under 2.5 goals are far too generous as United never have an easy game with Wolves so under 2.5 goals is my call here.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 29/20.
Tuesday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
No other singles interest me today, sorry guys!
Accumulator fodder:
Admira Wacker, Armed Forces.
Recommended bets
No multiples appeal to me today, sorry guys!
As ever, if there any questions/explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
Baltic League:
Suduva Marijampole vs Flora Tallinn (6) 2-1
Siauliai vs Trans Narva (5) 1-1
Austrian Liga 1:
St.Polten vs Grodig (7) over 2.5 goals
Admira Wacker vs First Vienna (8) over 2.5 goals
Hartberg vs Austria Lustenau (4) draw no bet
Lustenau vs Gratkorn (6)
Ecuadorian Primera A:
Emelec Guayaquil vs Deportivo Cuenca (6) 1-0
English League Cup:
Birmingham City vs Brentford (8) 2-0
Wigan Athletic vs Swansea City (5) 2-1
Ipswich Town vs Northampton Town (6) over 2.5 goals
Leicester City vs West Bromwich Albion (4) 2-2
Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (6) under 2.5 goals
Mexican Primera Division:
Pachuca vs Tigres UANL (5) 2-1
Pumas UNAM vs Atlas (6) 2-0
Dutch Eredivisie:
Roda JC Kerkrade vs NEC Nijmegen (7) over 2.5 goals
Heracles Almelo vs NAC Breda (6) 1-0
Singaporean S-League:
Armed Forces vs Beijing Guoan (8) 2-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!