Champions League Betting: Wolfsburg v Manchester United

Champions League / James Eastham / 07 December 2009 / Leave a Comment

Ryan Giggs was one of the scorers when Manchester Utd beat Wolfsburg 2-1 at Old Trafford on September 30

Recommended bets: Manchester United +0.25 Asian handicap @ 1.96; Over 2.5 goals @ 2.08; 1-1 and 1-2 correct scorelines @ 7.6 and 13.5 respectively.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side don't need to win against the German champions on Tuesday night, but that doesn't prevent them being tremendous value, writes James Eastham. Best bet: Manchester United +0.25 Asian handicap @ [1.96].

Wolfsburg need to end one of the most remarkable runs in European football to guarantee a place in the Champions League knock-out phase.

Manchester United, the visitors to the Volkswagen-Arena on Tuesday night, are unbeaten in 14 away games over the past three seasons, including wins at Besiktas (1-0) and CSKA Moscow (1-0) in this season's competition.

A draw or a defeat may be good enough for Wolfsburg to go through, but the Germans cannot afford to take risks because they must do as well as CSKA Moscow at Besiktas. Wolfsburg manager Armin Veh and his staff will doubtless receive updates direct from Istanbul, but playing for victory is the only sensible course of action.

And it's what Wolfsburg do best. They lie eighth in the Bundesliga, but their games this season have been just as open and enthralling as during 2008-09, when they clinched their first German title. Seventeen of 21 matches - including each of their last seven - have featured over 2.5 goals, which makes the [2.08] on over 2.5 goals tempting even though United's European away games tend to be lower-scoring.

United are already through and need only a point to qualify as group winners. Their comfortable position is why Sir Alex Ferguson's side are [3.4] to win (Wolfsburg are [2.34], with the draw [3.55]), but United's excellent attitude in all circumstances makes them tremendous value. You can back them with a +0.5-goal start on the Asian handicap at [1.7], a +0.25 start at [1.96], Man Utd Draw No Bet is [2.4] or you can simply lay Wolfsburg at [2.36]. All four are worth considering.

Both teams to score is a tad short at [1.73], so I prefer a couple of speculative correct-score selections to round off the betting. I genuinely believe United will adopt a winning attitude, so 1-1 and 1-2 are my picks at [7.6] and [13.5] respectively.

* Wolfsburg v Man Utd, Tuesday, Sky Sports 2, 7pm (7.45pm kick-off)