Tag: Mourinho

United Need to Find Another Gear

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Much has been said of Manchester United’s supposed recent good form. The reality is that they have been far from convincing. Despite reaching the last eight of the Europa League and winning the EFL Cup, they are still some way off reaching the top four in the Premier League. Their main problem has been in finding the net and a second striker that will deliver enough goals. They haven’t found anybody to partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic who can share the workload in terms of scoring.

United are a team that dominate possession in most games but don’t find the net often enough. This has been a repeating pattern all season. Wayne Rooney has fallen out of favour with manager Jose Mourinho. To make matters worse, Anthony Martial has been misfiring and still doesn’t appear to be true United quality.

No Top Class Striking Options

Too much has been asked of young Marcus Rashford. This young lad is still learning his trade and hasn’t really kicked on this season. Too much has rested on the broad shoulders of Ibrahimovic. His recent suspension has come at a bad time for United. It was no surprise on Saturday to see them labour to yet another draw at home to West Brom.

The pattern is all too obvious. United dominate the game in terms of possession but don’t score. They badly need to find a long term striking option for next season. At 35 years of age then it is clear that Ibrahimovic simply cannot go on for much longer. Even if United were to go on and lift the Europa League, that will still only paper over what is really needed at Old Trafford.

Will United beat the Blue half of Liverpool?

United face Everton on Wednesday in what is a vital game for them. They are in a serious fight to finish in the top four. This wasn’t something that the United fans expected when Mourinho took charge. Everton under Ronald Koeman has been a much tougher nut to crack this season.

They will surely want to bounce back after their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. The question is will they? This match represents an interesting betting proposition. Clearly United are struggling to score goals at the moment. Everton, on the other hand, is somewhat resolute in defence. So the draw at 16-5 with BetVictor appeals to us.

BetVictor also go 20-21 on their under 2.5 goals market. This is yet another bet that we feel may be value. Anything less than a win for United on Wednesday will really turn the pressure on them in terms of a top four finish this season.

Manchester United v WBA: United Out To Narrow The Gap

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After an enforced two-week break due to the international calendar, Manchester United return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to Old Trafford.

United manager José Mourinho will be looking for his team to kick on and keep up the pressure on the top-four as they seek qualification for next season’s Champions League. Currently occupying fifth place in the league four points behind Liverpool but with two games in hand, United could conceivably see the gap increase to seven points if their north-west rivals emerge victorious from the Merseyside derby on Saturday lunchtime.

Mourinho Missing Key Men Aplenty

United will be without talisman and top goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimović who serves the last of a three-match suspension while Mourinho, who earlier this week voiced his complete opposition to international football friendlies, will also be unable to call on the suspended Ander Herrera while world record signing Paul Pogba and England defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are also all likely to miss out through injury.

West Brom supremo Tony Pulis meanwhile will travel to ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ with an almost full strength squad, winger Matt Phillips and defender Gareth McAuley the only players rated doubtful. Mourinho’s incorrect assertion earlier this week that West Brom had only one player away on international duty in comparison to United’s 14 or 15 may have inspired the Baggies playing staff and support and Pulis will likely use the inadvertent slight on his club as extra motivation on Saturday.

Baggies on Target to Match Best Ever Finish

The Baggies, who were in fact, able to boast six international call-ups, are on course to equal their best-ever finish of eighth achieved four seasons ago. However, with seventh-placed Everton holding a seven-point lead over Pulis’ men with just nine games to go and a gap of seven points separating themselves and ninth-placed Stoke, West Brom will have to put together an impressive sequence of results to improve upon their finish from 2012-13.

Yet the bookmakers, despite United’s sizeable list of absentees and West Brom’s record of two out of three victories at Old Trafford on their last three visits, remain unconvinced of the Baggies chances on Saturday with BetVictor offering them as long as 19/2 to emerge with all three points. There’s little value in backing a United win however with odds varying only between 1/3 and 2/5. More value is to be found in backing them to extend their unbeaten run of 18 league matches courtesy of a draw, currently 17/4 with Unibet.

Premier or Europa League the priority?

A draw could turn out to be very costly for United with the club facing a daunting schedule of seven league matches and a Europa League double-header against Anderlecht in April alone. Currently, the odds of United winning the Europa League are roughly the same as them finishing in the top-four of the Premier League, around the 5/4 with a variety of bookmakers. Yet with United still to travel to top four rivals Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City and with champions-elect Chelsea due at Old Trafford in mid-April the safest market looks to be a wager on United to win the Europa League, and that’s exactly where I’d place my money given a choice between the two.

Back to Saturday and our prediction for this game? It has to be a both-teams-to-score home win despite Zlatan’s notable absence with odds of 5/2 available from Bet365 amongst others. Alternatively, for those looking for a bigger return, a 2-0 win for United just as they achieved earlier in the season at the Hawthorns is available at tasty odds of 11/2 with the same bookmaker. A tenner on either looks good value from where I’m standing. Best of luck to you whichever way you turn!

Best Bets Ahead of a Premier League Super Sunday

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

WE’VE finally got a real “Super Sunday” in the Premier League this weekend and the first match sees title favourites Manchester City host in-form Southampton at the Etihad.

Manchester City vs. Southampton

Pep Guardiola had a homecoming to forget after his former side Barcelona inflicted a 4-0 Champions League midweek defeat on City; this was the Spaniard’s heaviest loss in management, and in the middle of a difficult time at present he faces a tough challenge again at the weekend.

After a perfect 10 match winning start to the new season, City are just clinging on to top spot after four matches without a success, and they offer little value to win at just 1.55 with Coral.

Southampton’s season is a polar opposite to City’s; The Saints’ failed to win in their opening four matches, but they arrive in the blue half of Manchester flying without a loss in their last seven.

Claude Puel’s side are 7.00 to continue their winning form, and even though that does look very tempting on paper, six successive loses in this fixture is putting me off having a small wager on them.

Sergio Aguero was amazingly rested at the Camp Nou. The Argentinian looks certain to lead the line and he will be up against another in-form striker in Southampton’s Charlie Austin. With those two in excellent goalscoring form, I like both teams to score at 1.80 with BoyleSports for the sixth time in the last seven years in this fixture.

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

ALL eyes will be on the “special one” Jose Mourinho when he returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time since being sacked last season, with his new Manchester United to take on Chelsea.

I was staggered when I looked at the prices for this and saw that Chelsea were just 2.10 for the win. Why?

The Blues’ did produce their best performance of the season last time out with a 3-0 win against Leicester. But the Foxes’ were dreadful, and prior to that win, Antonio Conte’s side had only won just once in their last five, and the Italian was backed into odds-on favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job.

Mourinho produced a tactical masterclass to frustrate Liverpool at Anfield on Monday, and I can see him doing the same again, cranking up the mind games in the press conferences before Sunday.

United are in very good form arriving in West London unbeaten in their last five matches, and why they are 3.75 for the win with Betfred is staggering.

I can’t see Mourinho walking away as a loser and if you are not tempted by the price on United to win the match, then 2.50 on them on the draw no bet market also makes a lot of appeal.

Goals might be hard to come by if United’s tactics at Anfield are anything to go by, and in seven of the last eight matches between these two rivals, under 2.5 goals has been a winning bet. At 1.91 again with Betfred, throwing in the “Mourinho” factor as well, that looks an obvious play.

Chelsea v Tottenham Preview May 8th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Tonight’s match between Chelsea and Tottenham is effectively a Cup final for both sides with a Champions League place at stake. The Blues did this column a favour by grabbing an excellent 1-0 victory on Sunday. Having tipped Juan Mata to score at 100-30 I was more than a little miffed when his deflected strike was credited as an own-goal. I understand that some bookmakers have been paying out on Mata so I hope that your bookie was doing the decent thing!

Moving on to tonight’s game and the Blues now know that they are now in a position to finally kill off Tottenham’s challenge. It has been a long and difficult season for Chelsea supporters but a disappointing season could still end on a high note with a Champions League spot and victory in the Europa League final. Juan Mata has been an absolute star for the Blues this season and he admitted that they were somewhat laboured at Old Trafford on Sunday. Even so, they still clung to the belief that they could sneak a famous win and were rewarded late on. They won’t need any encouragement for tonight’s match against their London rivals.

The game also sees the return to Stamford Bridge of former boss Andre Villas-Boas. Although he was not given sufficient time as coach to make any real impact, he had formerly served under Jose Mourinho and not unpopular at the club. The swift removal of Roberto Di Matteo at the start of this season followed by the appointment of Benitez shows that the fans have no say in what happens at the club and Villas-Boas should receive a warm welcome. Whilst Mata has been Chelsea’s star player, Spurs have been almost totally reliant on Gareth Bale this season. Once again he came to their rescue after a poor performance at home to Southampton and snatched an unlikely three points to keep their challenge alive. He has never really shone against Chelsea in the past and, despite reports to the contrary, there is no doubt that he will be given special attention.

Chelsea’s key player tonight could be Eden Hazard. He has been a revelation this season and can only get better in the next couple of years. His surging runs should prove as much of a threat to Spurs as Bale will to Chelsea and a full strength Chelsea team is capable of getting the win they need this evening. Hazard is 3-1 to score at any time during the match with Bet Victor and those odds are worth taking. Chelsea are a shade of odds-on to win the game and it might be worth going for a 2-1 home win at odds of 8-1 with Ladbrokes.

Chelsea 19-20 Bet Victor
Chelsea to win 2-1 at 8-1 Ladbrokes
Eden Hazard to score 3-1 Bet Victor