Both teams suffered midweek losses in Europe but that should only serve to increase the pressure on this FA Cup quarter final at Old Trafford
Sir Alex Ferguson was so incensed by the refereeing in their Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in midweek that he didn’t appear as his post-match press conference.
A familiar face in the shape of Howard Webb will be in charge at Old Trafford and Bet365 make the hosts 3/4 (1.75) favourites to get back to winning ways at the first time of asking.
Rafael Benitez’s side suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of Steaua Bucharest on Thursday night so will have less time to prepare for this match than the hosts.
Bet365 make the Blues 10/3 (4.33) shots to win in 90 minutes and continue the defence of their FA Cup crown. The draw is a 13/5 (3.60) play.
Real Madrid’s win ended a run of 10 consecutive wins at home for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and although United’s defence had been fairly solid of late, matches with Chelsea in recent years have been notoriously high-scoring affairs.
Their last match ended 5-4 in extra-time after finishing 3-3 in 90 minutes, and that game was the sixth straight game where over 2.5 goals and both teams to score have banked. Overs here is just 13/20 (1.65) and both teams to score is priced just 8/13 (1.63) though, so it may be a better decision to look elsewhere for the main bet.
Until Nani’s controversial red card, United had controlled the game against Real Madrid so that result should not be viewed too negatively when looking at their overall form.
With so many wins at Old Trafford of late they do look well placed to beat a Chelsea side who are struggling to keep pace with the two Manchester clubs this season, and are without a win on the road in their last three matches against Premier League opposition.
United have won four of the last six head-to-head meetings between these two, including the last three at Old Trafford so backing them to take a big leap towards another domestic trophy with a win here at 3/4 (1.75) is a solid bet.
For the value bet consider the trend of goals between these two sides and factor this into the possibility of a Manchester United win. A home win with over 2.5 goals in the game is priced at 6/4 (2.50) by bet365 and looks a good option for those in search of a bigger priced bet for this game.
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Jim Knight is Betting Editor at Goal.com and has been tipping football games since he was old enough to place a bet. He is a Leicester City fan, writer and member of the We Are Going Up Podcast
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