Premier League Betting: Manchester United v Everton

Premier League / Richard Walker / 31 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

Battling Everton's never-say-die spirit makes the draw a tasty bet at [4.6] for Richard Walker.

There was a time - back in the 1980s albeit - when Everton held something of a magic sign over Manchester United, even at Old Trafford. You could almost rely on the Toffees making it sticky for the team managed first by Big Ron then latterly Sir Alex Ferguson.

And, while David Moyes' side still make life very uncomfortable at Goodison Park, they've struggled in recent times to cope with United's greater vibrancy on the larger Old Trafford playing surface. Struggled in a relative sense, of course, since the measure of the Blues' progress under the ginger Scot is that they will leave Manchester disappointed with even a single-goal defeat.

Pound-for-pound there's no one to match Moyes in the division. Even Fergie said as much this week, admitting: "David Moyes has done an incredible job at Everton without getting the credit he deserves. He has never had the resources you get at a club like United."

So this is a meeting of two in-form sides, possibly the two most in-form sides in the division right now. You have to go back to early December for Everton's last defeat while United have kept 11 consecutive clean sheets.

Something's got to give...or has it? Not for me. I think Everton's burgeoning confidence can see them repel United - who haven't been pulverising teams at home - to earn a goalless draw [13.0] or a 1-1 draw [10.0].

The match odds suggest I'll be wrong. The hosts are [1.41] to back, Everton [13.5] with my favoured draw juicy enough for me at [4.6].

It'd be just like Everton, never noted as prolific scorers more as party-poopers, not to ruin Edwin van der Sar's peerless run of over 1,000 minutes without picking the ball out of his own net. If you disagree, then get involved at [1.83] about a United clean sheet. It's [2.14] to back against a 12th consecutive Premier League shut-out.

While we're on the subject of goals, I think under 2.5 is a good thing at [1.88] to back. Moyes' team know how to play the waiting game and they're resolute defensively, unlike some of the lambs to the slaughter that come to Old Trafford and sit there waiting for a beating. Over 2.5 is [2.1] to back if you reckon this one will open up. Under 1.5 goals, a [3.75] chance, also caught my eye.

I'm not dogmatic enough about a stalemate to suggest there won't be goals and here, it might take something like a Paul Scholes rocket to open Everton up. He'd be roughly [7.4] in the to score market and might be worth a look. Without Wayne Rooney, the more popular forward options include Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitar Berbatov - both players likely to figure at around [5.7] in the First Goalscorer list.

Importantly, the near-strikerless visitors have injury doubts over both Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini but, for a game like this, you could see them both having a pain-killing injection and cracking on with it. In case the Aussie with the eye for goal doesn't feature, a Toffees' scorer isn't immediately apparent which is why it might pay to go with a longer shot like Joleon Lescott at around [14.0] to score at any time.

Draw/Draw at [7.4] would seem the straightfoward Half-Time/Full-Time play if reckoning on level-pegging but I'm not convinced enough about either 0-0 or 1-1 so there might be merit in looking at United/Draw [25.0] or Everton/Draw [25.0] since both sides have no concept of throwing the towel in. My own opinion is that it'll be tightly matched all the way through, however, so the [2.54] about the game being even at Half-Time looks tempting.

A tight one - but a good one - in store for Setanta viewers. Two well-structured, in-form sides. Should be good.

Best Bets: back The Draw @ [4.6]; back Under 2.5 goals @ [1.88]; back The Draw (HT) @ 2.54.