Televised Match Previews / Richard Walker / 07 March 2009 / Leave a comment

We may not see the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney strutting their stuff for Man Utd at Craven Cottage but whatever side they put out should be enough to defeat the Cottagers, says Richard Walker. Best bet: Back Man Utd @ [1.91].

Oh look, ITV have selected the Manchester United tie again - what a surprise!

In a week when the independent broadcaster announced its intention to cut upwards of 500 jobs, let's hope that some of the posts which remain involve ensuring this potentially enthralling tie does not divert to an advert at a particularly climatic moment!

And there may well not be too many of those, since the ultra-tactical - and over-achieving - Roy Hodgson, Fulham boss, is not about to allow the congested spaces of Craven Cottage to be picked open by Sir Alex Ferguson's visitors. Back Under 1.5 goals at [3.1] by all means - but make a United victory at [1.91] and Under 2.5 goals, a [1.7] chance, your bets of this tie.

The Match Odds surprised me, if I'm honest. [1.91] for United to prevail looks too tempting to ignore. Perhaps the [3.55] about The Draw - a tick or three shorter than you might expect - suggests a caution among backers to wade into the Premier League champions against such doughty opposition like the Cottagers. Fulham themselves are [5.0] to support, but only a Whites' fan or one who thinks Fergie will forget this in lieu of the title or Champions League priorities would really get stuck in at that price.

I'm a real hunch player, as regular readers will testify, and in decent form of late - especially with my main selections (so bang goes this game now), and my hunch here is that, yes, United will triumph but that Fulham will make it bloody difficult for them to do so.

So Draw/Man Utd in the HT/FT market, at [5.2], is the kind of runner for those convinced of an away win but finding the Match Odds of just under evens a little too short for their staking preference. Thing is, with this section you can always cover and still turn a profit, Man Utd/Man Utd, for example, is a [3.3] chance. Draw/Draw at [5.7] and Fulham/Fulham [10.0] are among the other options.

I'm strong about an 80%-20% play in the Correct Score section. 1-0 to United [7.0] for the majority stake with an [8.8] cover against the 2-0 option. With a busy schedule of games for all top-flight sides right now, these teams - however shuffled about - will tire come the second half and that's when I expect Fergie's boys to exploit the breaks in the Fulham rear-guard.

I made the point during the Coventry-Chelsea look-ahead that Guus Hiddink might sacrifice this competition to concentrate all the Blues' energies on Europe, however such is the depth and variety of United's squad (and their relatively injury-free roster) that they can afford to attack whatever match is put in front of them with the same gusto.

I tipped against a Red Devils' clean sheet for their 5th Round trip to Derby County but I can't see Andy Johnson, Bobby Zamora (or perhaps Diomansy Kamara) breaking through during this one. Therefore I wouldn't steer you away from backing the 'Yes' to a United shut-out, priced at [2.34]. The hosts are hardly prolific and have struggled to offer a penetrative threat in recent games.

Who will score the goals? I think you have to play this market as near to kick-off as you can, once the line-ups are in. If you are one who likes to get a portfolio nailed down, then Carlos Tevez will be roughly [3.5] To Score, while Fulham's Johnson might appeal at a similar price. Wait till the market really takes shape as Saturday afternoon unfolds.

A good tie for ITV this one - I'll be tuned in for 90 minutes, I hope they can manage the same.