Andy's Saturday tips - Man Utd to qualify
The Premier League title race is wide open after recent results but league action takes a back seat this weekend and it's all about the FA Cup. With four exciting fixtures, let's try to predict how they will unfold...
Birmingham v Bolton
What a strange couple of weeks it's been for the Blues. From the jubilation of that Carling Cup win to a somewhat embarrassing 3-1 defeat at home to West Brom that has set the relegation alarm bells ringing at St Andrew's.
In a way I feel that defeat will have a direct impact on this match. Birmingham have a cup win under their belts already this season and may feel that the FA Cup as well may be a bridge too far.
With life in the Championship next season a real threat, Alex McLeish may feel this is a good opportunity to give some of his star names a break and give a chance to some youngsters and more experienced squad players. That decision wouldn't be a popular with fans but sometimes it's a case of needs must. Let's not forget that they also played Everton in midweek.
As for Bolton, they're not playing quite as well as they were earlier on in the season but they're sitting pretty in the league and, unlike their opponents, can make this competition their number one priority. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea are all out and one of Arsenal or Manchester United will go in this round too; this may well be the best chance in a long time for the Trotters to at least make the final.
Daniel Sturridge has given the team a huge boost with his pace and goals but they'll have to make do without him here as he's cup-tied after playing for Chelsea earlier on in the season.
Nonetheless, I think Bolton are good enough to win this match, with Birmingham's mind on other matters. This could be a good game of football in which the visitors are the team to side with.
Recommended Bets:
Back Bolton to win at [2.8]
Back Bolton to win 2-1 at [11.5]
Manchester United v Arsenal
I've talked about how Birmingham may not see this competition as a priority and the same may well go for Arsenal. A couple of weeks ago things were rosy in the Gunners' garden but the shock loss in the Carling Cup and the disappointment of once again going out to Barcelona in Europe will have darkened the mood.
Had this match been at the Emirates, I have no doubt Arsene Wenger will have picked his strongest team and backed his side to knock out the league leaders and go on and win the cup. But it's not, it's at Old Trafford and I have a sneaky suspicion players like Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie may be given the afternoon off and saved for one final push at the Premier League title.
Even if Arsenal do field their strongest team, they're in for a pretty testing 90 minutes. Whereas Manchester United's away form has been patchy, their home record is superb in all competitions.
Yes, they have a midweek Champions League tie against Marseille to deal with but they don't need to travel for that one and Sir Alex will be confident he can beat two pretty strong teams at home in the space of four days without needing to chop and change his starting 11.
Whatever happens from now until the end of the season, one positive Manchester United can take from this campaign has been the emergence of Chris Smalling. At the start, many would have thought he'd only play a handful of matches in the two domestic cup competitions but the injuries that have plagued Rio Ferdinand have meant Smalling has already started 16 matches.
He's had to play alongside different partners along the way, which is always tough, but he's done pretty well and more importantly, he's improved with every match and learned from the few mistakes he's made.
It's always great to see the very best teams going head-to-head at this stage of the FA Cup but I have a feeling this match won't have quite the same intensity as when Arsenal host Manchester United in the league in a few weeks. You can make a case for Arsenal, you always can, but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't Manchester United's name in the draw for the next round.
Recommended Bets:
Back Manchester United to win at [2.06]
Back Manchester United to win 2-0 at [12.5]
Back Javier Hernandez to score at anytime at [2.9]
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 11 Mar 2011
David Thompson (March 13, 2011 10:55 AM) said:
Just thought i'd say thanks for the tips Andy, made some money from both games with your advice, although the Bolton game was touch and go and lucky in the end.