Will City upset United's title ambitions?
Manchester City play host to bitter rivals Manchester United this evening in the Barclays Premier League and with only three points separating the two teams at the top of the table, tonight’s match is seen as a make or break match for the Premier League title. United so far have the upper hand but with City coming into the match in better form, tonight’s encounter looks set to be a classic for all football fans. Will City upset United's title ambitions?
Looking at the Premier League table City can’t really afford not to win this evening. They are currently three points behind United with only two fixtures left to play after tonight so a loss or draw could be the final nail in the coffin for City’s Premier League title ambitions. A win for City would see them return to the top of the table on goal difference, a draw would mean United would need four points from their last two games to win the title and a loss would see Ferguson’s men only needing one point against either Swansea (h) or Sunderland (a) to claim their twentieth top flight title.
City are the 13/10 favourites with William Hill to take maximum points and with them having won 21 of their last 22 home matches in the league, that price could easily be a lot shorter by the time the game kicks-off.
City will be looking towards former United player Carlos Tevez and his Argentinean strike partner Sergio Aguero to provide them with the goals. The pair have been instrumental for City and with them having scored a total of 12 goals between them in the four matches that they have started together, the 11/4 (William Hill) available for Tevez to score in 90 minutes and the 11/4 (William Hill) available for Aguero to score in 90 minutes could be a rewarding bet.
The main concern for United coming into this match is their current form. They have only gained four points from their last three matches and the manner in which they threw away a 3-1 and 4-2 lead against Everton last Sunday, would have only pleased City boss Roberto Mancini. It’s 11/4 (BetVictor) for United to come away from the Etihad Stadium victorious and 5/2 (Boylesports) that the match finishes as a draw.
One thing you can guarantee is that Ferguson will not let City have the same time on the ball and space that Everton had last Sunday. It looks likely that Rooney will play as a lone striker and United will start with five across the midfield but second guessing Ferguson’s tactics is a hard one to do.
One football betting market that does look slightly over priced is the 7/4 available for Vincent Kompany to be booked. If you look back at two of the three previous fixtures that these two teams have played this season, Kompany has been given the role of man-marking Rooney, which has resulted in the Manchester City defender being sent off in the FA Cup match and shown a yellow card in United’s 6-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
Another football betting market that could produce a return is the 6/4 available with Sky Bet for United to win on the draw no bet market. Looking back at United’s record at the Etihad Stadium it’s hard to see City running away with this fixture. Ferguson’s men have only lost once in their last five visits to the Etihad Stadium and the fact that City have failed to score at home against United in the league for almost five years, tells you the value in the 6/4.
The final betting football betting market that does look a tantalising bet is the 13/10 available with Bet365 for the half time result to be a draw. City have only conceded once during the first half in one of their last 20 Premier League games and with United guaranteed to play it safe at the back, it’s hard to see either side taking an early advantage.
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