Manchester United V Everton Betting

 

Manchester United V Everton

Date & Kick-Off: Saturday, 23 April 2011 – 12:45 (GMT)
Venue: Old Trafford
TV Coverage: Sky Sports HD2

Although the 2010/2011 season has hardly been vintage, United couldn’t care less so long as they get their hands on what would be a record 19th league title, eclipsing their bitter rivals Liverpool as the most decorated club in English league history. It would seem a formality, what with United six-points clear of both Arsenal and Chelsea, who in turn are six-points off the pace, however, Sir Alex’s men face both aforementioned teams before the end of the season and that piles added significance on their three outstanding fixtures, as victory in these would complete a job well done.

First up is Everton, who arrive at Old Trafford with a miserable record at the so called ‘Theatre of Dreams’, having not won there since their very first Premiership encounter with Sir Alex’s men, way back in 1992. Since then, United have gone on to win fourteen of the following seventeen meetings in Manchester, and victory on Saturday – in this weekend’s very first match-up, live on Sky Sports HD2 – would be their fifth in a row at home to Everton in the league.

Everton, though, bring with them some tasty credentials which should stand them in good stead. Apart from Chelsea, Everton are the hottest property in the Premier League on recent form, winning five of their last eight league fixtures. As a result, not only have they rocketed up the table, where they now reside in seventh and are breathing down the necks of their local rivals, Liverpool, confidence in camp is the highest it’s been all season while a third consecutive win on Saturday would take them above the locals in the table, for an hour or two at least.

Furthermore, the Toffees are determined to finish in the European places, as has been their target all season long, and so finishing above Liverpool isn’t just about local bragging rights – though their fans would certainly revel in that mini triumph, it’s about ensuring they have the best possible chance of completing their objective. If Manchester City were to win next month’s FA Cup final but finish outside the top-four, then sixth-place would then entitle the occupant to a Europa League entry, something Everton manager David Moyes will be all too aware of, no doubt.

Whether they’ll be any trouble for United remains to be seen as while Everton are in red-hot form heading to Manchester, the Red Devils have been on fire at Old Trafford this season. Only West Brom have left the United stronghold unscathed in 2010/2011, with Sir Alex’s side winning a quite sensational fifteen of their sixteen home games in the Premier League – and that’s not including their two wins there in the FA Cup, or the four in the Champions League.

It’s going to be a big ask but Everton will certainly have the morale support of every single Arsenal and Chelsea fan, while their own supporters would love nothing better than to throw a spanner in United’s works. However, their cause isn’t helped in the slightest by a barrage of injuries, not that it’s stopped them from embarking on their most eye-catching period of form all season. Both Marouane Fellani and Louis Saha won’t feature again this season while John Heitinga is a major doubt after picking up a hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at Goodison last time out.

There is at least some good news for David Moyes, with Mikel Arteta expected to undergo a late fitness test ahead of Saturday’s mouthwatering clash with the league leaders. Unfortunately, though, Tim Cahill is unlikely to be in contention.

Illness kept Dimitar Berbatov out of United’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle in midweek, and the Bulgarian might have made that decisive difference coming off the bench had he been fit. We are none the wiser as to whether that is true or if we’ll see the striker at all on Saturday, with reports suggesting that Sir Alex is set to ditch the former Spurs hitman in the summer transfer market. Darren Fletcher is still gaining his fitness following a long spell out through illness, ironically a real one, while Paul Scholes will serve the second of his three-match ban for seeing red in last week’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Man City at Wembley.

And I almost forgot, United do also have the distraction of a Champions League semi-final first leg with Schalke on Tuesday night. Will Ferguson have one eye on the Germans and rest some key players for the visit of Everton on Saturday?

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Head-to-Head (Premier League)

Man Utd wins: 27
Draws: 6
Everton wins: 4

Last 5 Seasons

2010/2011: Everton 3-3 Man Utd
2009/2010: Everton 3-1 Man Utd
2009/2010: Man Utd 3-0 Everton
2008/2009: Man Utd 1-0 Everton
2008/2009: Everton 1-1 Man Utd
2007/2008: Man Utd 2-1 Everton
2007/2008: Everton 0-1 Man Utd
2006/2007: Everton 2-4 Man Utd
2006/2007: Man Utd 3-0 Everton

 

Streaks & Trends

Everton have won only won of the last eleven league meetings with Manchester United, the Red Devils victorious in seven.

United haven’t tasted defeat at Old Trafford to Everton since their very first Premier League encounter back in 1992. United’s record at home to Everton during Premier League era: W14 D3 L1.

Manchester United have collected 45 points from a possible 47 at home this season: W15 D1 L0.

Everton are unbeaten in their last seven league games, winning their last two away contests.

 

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Betting Odds & Tips

Match Prediction: Draw – 4.33 PaddyPower

Their record at home this season has been imperious, and the same applies to their record at Old Trafford against David Moyes’ Everton. However, the Toffees arrive in scintillating form while United were a little suspect at St James’ in midweek, jaded enough to make me think twice about backing them at well odds-on.

Against Newcastle on Tuesday, United produced one of their poorest performances for some time, though it epitomised how indifferent they’ve been away from their beloved Old Trafford this season. Just five away wins in the league is a pretty damning statistic, so much so that even if they were to win their remaining two away fixtures, they’d still be crowned champions with the lowest ever tally of away triumphs in Premiership history.

United began Tuesday’s game at a pedestrian pace, that despite creating a golden opportunity within the opening 60 seconds, and found themselves bogged down in their own penalty box for much of the opening exchanges, and were more than a little fortunate not to find themselves behind. Their passing was sub-standard at best while the select few openings they did carve out they wasted, emphatically so. Of course, you’d expect nothing less than a more accomplished start from Fergie’s men at Old Trafford, but Newcastle have supplied Everton with some food for thought, that if you up the tempo and burst of the traps, United can be rocked early on. But doing so at Old Trafford will take some doing, as well as some brass balls.

If this title race is take another twist then someone other than Arsenal and Chelsea need to do step up to the plate and do some damage to United’s bid, and in-form Everton are far more likely than Blackburn and Blackpool, United’s final two opponents. It remains a massive ask but Everton certainly tick most the boxes. If only they had the craft of Mikel Arteta and the hunger of Tim Cahill to really give United a run for their money. The absence of both could be the difference on the day.

Value Bet: Jack Rodwell to Score – 15.00 Unibet

United are reportedly keen on signing the Everton starlet in the summer, so it would be fitting for the midfielder to score what could turn out to be his very last striker for the club at his new stamping ground. He doesn’t score often but he does bomb forward and when he does have a pop at goal, they tend to stay hit, if you know what I mean. 

Match Odds:

Manchester United – 1.50 BetFred
Draw – 4.33 PaddyPower
Everton – 8.50 VictorChandler

 

Manchester United V Everton

 

Kick-off: Saturday 21st November – 17:30 GMT

Venue: Old Trafford

TV Coverage: ESPN

 

  

 

Manchester United

 

League Position: 3rd

Recent Form: DWLWL

  

Sir Alex Ferguson usually comes out on top in the ‘Fergie Versus Moyes’ affair and Saturday shouldn’t be no different. Although the Red Devils did lose their last game before the break, losing 1-0 at Chelsea, they were given a small lifeline in the International break which has allowed them the chance to mull over what actually went wrong. What went wrong exactly? – Well, let’s just say luck wasn’t on United’s side… for once! 

 

Ferguson was bitterly disappointed with the final result at Chelsea but he was more distressed with some of the referring decisions, surprise-surprise. In our honest opinion, the ref didn’t have a too bad game and it’s United who only had themselves to blame after failing to convert the chances they did create after dominating throughout the course of the 90 minutes. Unlike their trip to Anfield last month, United showed no fear at The Bridge, taking the game by the scruff of the neck, controlling large periods of the game and created most of the decent opportunities. Although the result won’t have pleased a single United fan nor their grumpy manager, the performance was a a big positive as United had performed very poorly in their opening two encounters against the ‘Big Four’.  

 

The United players must now put that defeat to Chelsea to one side and concentrate on a tough fixture with Everton, a fixture they should win though. The last three meetings at Old Trafford have gone the way of the home side, and with United still boasting an unbeaten record at home this season (5-1-0), the Red Devils should probably win at a cantor, although Fergie will probably send me a message of displeasure for my comments. After all, we mustn’t forget Fergie’s jibe at Benitez for calling Everton a ‘small club’.

  

Manchester United at Old Trafford this season have been clinical rather than impressive. Five wins from six, the only blip being their 2-2 draw with Sunderland, of which they scraped a point out of the game. Two big sides have already fallen at the home of the Red Devils, with Arsenal (2-1) & Man City (4-3), both outplaying United to some extent but yet still ending up on the losing side. However, several teams have kinda shown this season that if you can defend stoutly at the home of United, and take your chances, then points are there for the taking. Sunderland exposed United last month, although, Everton’s defending has been far from satisfactory this season so perhaps this rule of thumb isn’t applicable this weekend.

 

 

 

 

Everton

 

League Position: 12th

Recent Form: DDLDW

  

With a relatively small squad, it was always going to be a big ask for David Moyes & Everton to replicate their end of season finish of last year – 5th position. However, not even the wildest of punters would have predicted the abysmal start Everton fans have had to endure up till this stage, with the Toffees found floundering in 12^th position, nearer the bottom of the league then the top. A trip to Old Trafford is never an ideal recipe for an early season recovery but perhaps this could be the game they need to kick boost their lacklustre season.

  

A point would be a fabulous result for Everton, and we feel that is what David Moyes will set his sights on, on Saturday. Firstly, he will need to insert some steel and resilience into that back four as they’ve been far too vulnerable for our liking. However, their offence is actually looking pretty good, especially Louis Saha, a former United employee, who has seven for the season, scoring in two of his last three league appearances. Perhaps the competition for places is now having the positive affect David Moyes was hoping for as injuries to forward thinking players has restricted Moyes’ forward options.

  

Everton’s away record thus far isn’t ideal, winning just the two, those coming against Portsmouth (0-1) & West Ham (1-2), although, the West Ham victory was their most recent and that victory could have rekindled their away spirits after previously losing on three of their last four outings. They don’t give too much away when on the road, although, they struggle to keep clean sheets at the same time. Their away goal record on the road stands at 6-7, with only Portsmouth failing to score against a travelling Everton, but only Fulham has managed to score more than once.

  

David Moyes is still without a whole host of players but that’s nothing new. He has had to contend with injuries to some of his key and influential players for some time now. The midfield is where Everton do look extremely light, with Phil Neville, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar all out, and all would have been starters. Mainly the former two, are great at keeping hold of the ball and supplying the forwards and without them, Everton will and have struggled to compete in the centre of the park. That will be the case on Saturday, we have no doubts about that.

 

 

 

 

Head-to-Head:

 

Manchester United W: 6 Everton W: 1 Draws: 3 

 

United have generally enjoyed the arrival of Everton and have won the previous three encounters at Old Trafford, winning 1-0 last season, and 2-1 and 3-0 the two seasons gone before. However, Everton did hold United to a 0-0 draw in the FA Cup last season so they do undoubtedly have the credentials to frustrate a usual rampant Manchester United at Old Trafford, although, the chances of that happening this Saturday do look slimmer than ever.

 

Everton’s only victory over United came back in the 2004/2005 season, that coming by the way of a 1-0 win at Goodison Park, which, is unfortunately not the setting for this weekends fixture.

 

 

 

 

 

Match Verdict:- Manchester United to Win – 1.40 BlueSquare

 

As Kevin Keegan once put it “We would love it if we beat them”, although, I’m no Everton fan so why I’m using that quote is beyond reasoning. However, from a Liverpool fans perspective, we would be thrilled if our local ‘chums’ would put one over on United, but we just can’t see it happening. The Everton midfield looks out muscled before the game has even kicked off, while United have been far too consist on home turf for us to have a wager on them slipping up. Man Utd have already lost too much ground on Chelsea and they can ill-afford any more slip ups. A home win for us.

 

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Manchester United – 1.40 BlueSquare

Draw – 4.50 SkyBet

Everton – 9.50 Boylesports

 

 

 

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Manchester United to WIN to NIL – 2.38 888sport

 

 

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Full-Time: Manchester United 3-0 Everton

 

Goalscorer(s): Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)