Manchester United v Chelsea Betting Preview

• March 08, 2013
• Mark Stefanyszyn

After their unlucky exit from the Champions League knock-out stages on Tuesday Manchester United will be fired up when they face Chelsea in the FA cup on Sunday. Chelsea on the other hand may be coming into the game fatigued after their midweek trip to Romania in the Europa League which saw them come away with a promising 1-1 draw.

Form:

Manchester United: LWWWD Home: LWWWW

Chelsea: LWWLD Away: LWLWL

FA Cup Results:

Manchester United 2-1 Reading

Manchester United 4-1 Fulham

Manchester United 1-0 West Ham

Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea

Chelsea 4-0 Brentford

Brentford 2-2 Chelsea

Southampton 1-5 Chelsea

Team News:

So far Sir Alex Ferguson (SAF) has fielded a strong team in each of the FA cup ties that Manchester United have played in, and with their defeat on Tuesday meaning they can now only win the double, the match against Chelsea should be no different. But having said this, SAF is likely to make some changes to rest places and make sure injuries do not occur to the most important players. However, with such a strong squad players like Hernandez, Young and Valencia may all be given starts, which is by no means a weak team. So do not be surprised if Robin Van Persie (United's leading goal scorer) does not start the match on the weekend in an otherwise strong looking line up.

Chelsea have been adopting a similar approach in their FA cup games this season with the big players playing most of the matches. However, interim manager Rafa Benitez is known for his squad rotation and 'weird' team selections and with having played a key Europa League match on Thursday, do not be surprised if Chelsea rest a couple of players. Although it is likely that the better players (Mata, Hazard and Ba) will start the match having not played the whole game midweek, Chelsea may have to play a much weaker team than United's, because they simply do not have the strength in depth, especially up front.

The Match:

Manchester United ended their 17 game undefeated run with an unlucky defeat to Spanish giants Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday. United went into the game with a slender advantage having drawn 1-1 in the Bearabao a fortnight ago. Things got even better for them when they took a slightly fortuitous lead through a Sergio Ramos own goal. United looked to be heading into the last 8 of the Champions League with 30 minutes remaining, which was until Nani got sent off for what looked a very dubious decision. This completely changed the momentum of the game and Real Madrid went on to make the 10 men United pay with two quick-fire goals to settle the tie. This unlucky exit means that United are only now involved in two competitions this season; the Barclays Premier League and the FA Cup and with the domestic league looking all but sealed, the red devils can now concentrate their efforts on winning yet another FA cup.

Rafa Benitez yet again made several changes to his starting line up in Chelsea's mid week Europa League trip to Romania. He was made to pay for not selecting a full strength team as he watched as his side lost 1-0 to Steaua Bucuresti, in what was a poor match. Benitez has angered Chelsea fans considerably in his short tenure at the club, which in fairness to the fans, has seen little/no success. There have been little highlights for Chelsea this season, apart from one, one little Spaniard, Juan Mata. Mata has been the shining light in Chelsea's season thus far. He has been the midfield maestro and has stepped up to the task when the goals from the strikers have been not forthcoming. Mata has scored is the second top goal scorer in the team, behind Lampard by one goal, who has 11. These two players look the most likely to score for Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Who is going to progress to the next round?

As you can see from Manchester United's and Chelsea's FA cup matches to date this season, goals have been a plenty. Manchester United have averaged a total of three goals in their matches, whilst Chelsea's matches have seen an average of four goals. The bookies have priced up over 2.5 goals at 4/6 and over 3.5 goals at 2/1. Given the recent form and statistics of these two teams, these both look great bets, with the over 3.5 goals offering great value. However, backing Manchester United to score over 1.5 and over 2.5 goals at 4/5 and 5/2 respectively look better value. United are extremely good at Old Trafford and regularly score 2+ goals at home and have, in fact, done so in nine out of their last 11 matches.

The content of this article has hinted throughout at a United home win on Sunday and at odds of 4/5 it looks too good to turn down. United will be looking to follow up their Champions League exit with a win. Also, the Real Madrid defeat has meant that United can concentrate on the league and the FA cup, whilst Chelsea also have the Europa League to compete in. Also, the teams selections may make it easier for United to win this match. United have a great squad, their strength in depth with the likes of Rooney, Hernandez, Young and Valencia on the bench midweek is much better than Chelsea's, who may have to field a much weaker team given they only played on Thursday (albeit some players were rested for that match). United are one of the strongest home teams in the world. They rarely don't win their homes matches, whoever the opponent and it looks like that trend is set to continue against Chelsea on Sunday. 4/5 looks a big big price.

BEST BET: Manchester United to win @ 4/5 VALUE BET: Manchester United to score 3+ @ 5/2

SCORECAST: Javier Hernandez to score first and United to win 3-1 @ 65/1 with William Hill