Manchester United host Liverpool on Super Sunday in the weekend's standout Premier League game. Joe Townsend has the preview and two best bets.
Football betting tips: Premier League
1.5pts Joel Matip 1+ total shots at Evens (Paddy Power)
1pt Liverpool over 1.5 goals at 10/11 (General)
Manchester United and Liverpool head into this fixture in very different places.
The Red Devils are fresh from pulling themselves from yet another mini-crisis following a rip roaring comeback against Atalanta in midweek, while the Reds came out on top by the same scoreline at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano in what was arguably just as much of a classic.
From a United perspective, it’s easy to think they've emerged gloriously from victory on Wednesday and will take that into Sunday; their fans will hope so at least.
As nauseating as the coverage of Cristiano Ronaldo's much-vaunted return has been, few can argue his role in that turnaround was anything short of stunning, but it does not change simple facts: United remain a long way off being a genuine elite team.
Kick-off time: 16:30 BST, Sunday
TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Man Utd 2/1 | Draw 13/5 | Liverpool 5/4
Back Liverpool and back goals
Manchester United should not be backed this weekend. If both teams play to their true potential, they should lose comfortably.
Frustratingly though, the price about Liverpool to win has shortened enough already to be worth avoiding, with most firms now offering 5/4 - the 27/20 advised in Jake Pearson’s Beat the Market column on Monday has come up trumps, once again - but there is another angle.
What was also reaffirmed in midweek was that no matter what they try, Manchester United cannot stop conceding goals. No matter who they play, Liverpool cannot stop scoring them.
Following a 4-2 humbling by Leicester, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reverted to using two defensive midfielders against Atalanta.
His side were still carved open during a first half that should have ended with a scoreline wider than 0-2, and with a comeback out of the question.
Over in Madrid, Mo Salah and co. combined to become the first team to score three goals past Diego Simeone’s Atleti on home turf in the Champions League.
Liverpool have now scored at least twice in all but one of their 12 games in all competitions this season, with the only exception being their 1-1 Premier League draw with 10-man Chelsea, a match in which they dominated the expected goals (xG) battle 3.35-0.73.
Against a United defence that has kept only one clean sheet in their past 20 fixtures, a long-term issue that shows no signs of improving, Liverpool's irrepressible attack should have more than enough to find the net twice.
Backing LIVERPOOL TO SCORE 1.5 GOALS is a bet that very much appeals at 10/11.
Another aspect of United's defence that Solskjaer is struggling to fix is their inability to defend at set-pieces.
Atalanta's Merih Demiral became the fifth defender to score against the Red Devils in just 12 fixtures this season when he headed home at Old Trafford on Wednesday, taking advantage of some terrible marking.
The temptation is to back Virgil van Dijk to punish such lax defending on Sunday, but the Dutchman is unsurprisingly short. Instead there is serious value available in looking towards his central-defensive partner JOEL MATIP.
While not a prolific goalscorer by any means, Matip is becoming a prolific shooter. Only once in the Premier League this season has he failed to register an effort on goal, racking up an impressive 10 in just seven league appearances.
In all competitions, it is 12 in 10 matches with just one further blank, so the consistency is very much there.
That makes the evens that Paddy Power are offering for him to land 1+ TOTAL SHOTS well worth getting onside.
For the more ambitious amongst us, you can back the former Cameroon defender to score anytime at 14/1 or to break the deadlock at 40/1.
But with just one goal in 33 appearances, I'll be sticking to the shots market.
Man Utd v Liverpool best bets and score prediction
- 1.5pts Joel Matip 1+ total shots at Evens (Paddy Power)
- 1pt Liverpool over 1.5 goals at 10/11 (General)
Score prediction: Man Utd 1-2 Liverpool (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Odds correct at 10:00 BST (22/10/21)
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