Manchester United may be out of the Champions League but the signs are that this will only increase their focus on retaining their Premier League title – with the added bonus of denying cross-city rivals Manchester City in the process.
While Roberto Mancini’s may yet deny Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, the chances of Steve Kean’s Blackburn Rovers providing a stumbling block are somewhat slimmer.
United come into this one on the back of two consecutive 5-0 hammerings of struggling sides and Bet365 are offering 14/1 (15.0) for punters who think the champions can make it three on the bounce. A more likely bet is the possibility of the Red Devils leading at 45 and 90 in the half-time/full-time betting. The champions have done so in eight of their last nine Premier League games and are 4/9 (1.44) with Bet365 on making this nine from 10.
Blackburn’s form is – as one would expect from the league table – not so impressive. However, it’s not all bad news for Kean’s men, as their goalscoring record testifies.
Blackburn have scored more goals away from home than any other side in the bottom half of the Premier League. In fact, they have been remarkably consistent scorers – hitting the net in each of their last seven matches but their porous back line has been their downfall.
Given that United’s defensive injury list in recent days has included Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Fabio, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, the odds of 11/8 (2.38) with Bet365 against both teams scoring on New Year’s Eve represents good value.
Bets of the Day:
Half-Time/Full-Time Manchester United to win at 4/9 (1.44) with Bet365
Both teams to score at 11/8 (2.38) with Bet365
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Adam Bate is a professional freelance journalist who specialises in football and betting. He is editor of GhostGoal which can be found here – you can also follow Adam on Twitter 