Man Utd v Wolves: Back a winning start for United in near 4/1 Bet Builder

• Manchester United rock solid at Old Trafford

• Poor travellers Wolves have had a torrid summer

• Captain Bruno can star in 4.77/2 Bet Builder

• Read Betfair's new 90 minute payout offer here

Manchester United v Wolves
Monday, 20:00
Live on Sky Sports Main Event

Genuine title contenders

The curtain raises on another season at Old Trafford on Monday night, and for the first time in a good few years Manchester United are considered genuine title contenders by the odds compilers.

After finishing a distant third last season, the Betfair Sportsbook has Erik ten Hag's men as the 9/110.00 fourth favourites to win the Premier League going into the new campaign, behind only Manchester City at 4/61.67, Arsenal at 5/16.00 and Liverpool at 13/27.50.

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United have made a trio of major signings worth in excess of £172m during the summer. Goalkeeper Andre Onana replaces free agent David De Gea, while further up the field Mason Mount has been signed from Chelsea, and one of his major roles will be to assist new 20-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund.

Hojlund is unlikely to be fit for the visit of Wolves on Monday night, while defender Harry Maguire and midfielder Scott McTominay are not expected to start with transfers away from the club expected to happen before the end of the window.

Turmoil at Molineux

If there's optimism at Old Trafford going into the new campaign then it's the complete opposite among Wolves fans after an extremely concerning off season.

As soon as the 2023/23 season concluded it emerged that there were doubts about the future of manager Julen Lopetegui with a lack of transfer funds and broken promises cited as the reasons behind a possible departure.

That departure came to fruition just last week when Wolves and Lopetegui mutually agreed to end their association, with former Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil coming in immediately as the club's new manager.

However, the current Wolves squad looks weak, and despite the £80m+ recouped by the sales of Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins, Conor Coady and Raul Jimenez among others, it appears O'Neil has a tiny transfer budget to work with between now and the end of the window.

It perhaps comes as no surprise then to see Wolves available to back at just 11/53.20 to be relegated this season.

Home win doesn't look too short in Match Odds

United will kick-off their season as the strong 2/71.29 favourites to beat Wolves, and those odds don't look out of place to me.

Ten Hag's men were excellent at Old Trafford last term, winning 15 and drawing three of their 18 league matches following an opening day defeat to Brighton. They ended the season with six straight wins in front of their own fans, including a 2-0 win over Wolves in May.

O'Neil has taken charge of a side that was pretty woeful on the road last season. Wolves won just two of their 19 league away games, and those came against relegated Southampton and very-nearly relegated Everton.

So it's impossible to argue that United are too short here at 2/71.29, especially given what's gone on at Wolves in pre-season, but by the same token it's hard for me to recommend such prohibitive odds as a single, so I'll therefore include a home win as part of a Bet Builder.

For reference, Wolves can be backed at 19/210.50 with the Draw at 9/25.50.

Alternatively, if you want to be paid out on a a bet that is winning when the match clock hits 90:00 and not have to worry about stoppage time, then in the Match Odds 90 market you can back United at 2/91.22, Wolves at 17/29.50, and the Draw at 4/15.00.

Low-scoring game can be expected

When you go through in your head how you think the game will be played, it's easy to envisage United dominating possession, playing on the front foot, and having to break down a Wolves side that will be organised and defend in numbers.

If United score early then the floodgates could easily open, but more likely a game of patience will be required, and recent head-to-head results between these two sides suggest a low-scoring affair is on the cards.

Incredibly, out of the last 10 clashes between Manchester United and Wolves, just 11 goals have been scored. Over 2.5 Goals paid out just once in that time, and both teams scored in just two of those games.

Under 3.5 Goals can be backed at 1/21.50 on Monday night, while the Both Teams to Score - NO option is available at 4/51.80, which will be my main bet of the game as I just don't see Wolves scoring.

Incidentally, United's last five games against Wolves at Old Trafford all ended with a nil in them - scorelines of 2-0, 0-1, 1-0, 0-0 and 1-0 - and all had two goals or fewer.

So I'm happy to include the main bet (BTTS - NO) in my Bet Builder with the Under 3.5 Goals option, and for a player to score or assist at any time then it has to be United's new captain Bruno Fernandes.

I have a feeling that being given the captain's armband on a permanent basis will inspire the 28-year-old, and with his ability to score goals and creativity not in doubt, I fancy he'll enjoy a good evening on Monday night.

Fernandes has 64 goals and 54 assists to his name since joining United in 2020, and a home game against a backs-to-the-wall Wolves side could present the perfect opportunity to add to that impressive tally.

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