Liverpool v Manchester United: An explosive game in store...

FA Cup / Joe Dyer / 28 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Goalscoring candidates Steven Gerrard and Danny Wellbeck battle at Anfield last time out

"At [2.9] the price on an away win is too good to miss. Liverpool will have expended a great amount of energy on Wednesday night, United had their feet up. A fresh Red Devils should have enough to edge this."

Few fixtures are as combustible as this one and drama is the one thing we can guarantee when Liverpool and United meet in the FA Cup on Saturday. Joe Dyer looks for the best bets ahead of this massive fixture

Another chapter will be written in Liverpool and Manchester United's great rivalry this weekend and if recent results are a reliable guide anything could happen at Anfield.

There's been a bit of everything lately with plenty of wins for either side: United were victorious in two of three last year, including a 1-0 FA Cup win; honours were shared the year before; Liverpool claimed a league double in 2008-09. Stalemates are notable by their absence until you look at the last fixture between the two - a 1-1 draw in October 2011.

What we usually get though is drama and lots of it and, if a market were offered on Betfair, I'd bet deep odds-on that there is some sort of controversy on Saturday lunchtime that has pundits, journos and fans gnashing their teeth once more. This is English football, and stakes don't get much higher than when these two clash in a knockout tournament. Let's see if we can dig out some winning bets.

Match Odds
With recent results failing to give us a steer, perhaps we should be looking at current form instead.

United have thrown in the odd shocker this season - failing to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, losing consecutive matches to Newcastle and Blackburn - but they are enjoying a better campaign than their red rivals by some distance.

With wins over both Manchester City and Chelsea, the Carling Cup has provided the only real highlights in a season that hasn't gone according to plan for Kenny Dalglish. Seventh in the league, the Anfield outfit could well miss out on European football next year

It's the home form that has been letting Liverpool down, with seven draws and four wins from 11 league games. That record tells us they're unbeaten in the league, but at [2.9] the price on an away win is too good to miss. Liverpool will have expended a great amount of energy on Wednesday night, United had their feet up. A fresh Red Devils should have enough to edge this.

To Score
That is not to say that the home team will go down without a fight. Captain Steven Gerrard missed a large chunk of the early season, but has again proved his value with goals in the league and both cups since returning to club action in late December. Anything over [3.5] is a price worth taking on this big-game player again making his mark.

For the visitors Danny Welbeck has looked very lively in recent weeks and appears to be carving out a first-team role. Sir Alex Ferguson may play a few squad players however, and should Javier Hernandez win a start he would also be an attractive proposition. The Mexican has scored in the last two fixtures against Liverpool.

Over/Under 3.5 Goals
Goals-wise this one can occasionally go off the scale with the 3.5 barrier broken twice in the last four meetings. That would be a brave bet at odds of around [3.9], and less ambitious punters are advised to take a price of around [1.82] on both teams to score.

Recommended Bets
2pts Back Man Utd to win @ [2.9]
1pt Back Steven Gerrard to score @ [3.5]
1pt Back over 3.5 goals @ [3.9]
2pts Back both teams to score @ [1.82]

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