Another long and painful international break is just about over, as it’s time to preview Manchester United’s Saturday visit to arch-rival Liverpool. This two weeks off period was especially brutal for supporters of both teams, as they had to deal with a lot more than just tedium and boredom; they saw key players for their beloved side go down with significant injuries for an extended period of time.
Without further ado, here is The Sports Bank’s MUFC Starting XI Prediction
Romelu Lukau
Marcus Rashford Henrikh Mkhitaryan Juan Mata
Nemanja Matic Ander Herrera
Daley Blind Phil Jones Eric Bailly Antonio Valencia
David de Gea
For a combined starting XI of the two teams, go to this link.
For another collection of news items related to this match, go to this link.
Man United injury report: go to this link
Liverpool injury report: go to this link
Odds: Betting odds (via betfair) Liverpool to win: 6/4 Draw: 23/10 Man Utd to win: 15/8
After the news that Sadio Mané would be out for up to six weeks, Man United were heavily backed to win this weekend’s derby, suggesting punters are seeing Liverpool as a one-man team and not giving them much of chance for Saturday.
Since word of Mané’s injury, a massive 59.8% of bets have been on United, who have best odds of 9/5 to win, the same as Liverpool. Up until then, there had been far more parity in betting between the two teams to win.
Liverpool had also been marginal favorites with the bookies until this news broke. But only 24.6% of bets to win going on the home team since the Mané news has changed many firm’s outlooks on how the game will go. With passion high on both sides, it’s no surprise the 5/2 draw has been the least backed.
Breakdown of bets since Mané Injury:
59.8% Man U (9/5)
24.6% Liverpool (9/5)
15.6% draw (5/2)
Kickoff: 12:30 pm BST
Liverpool starting XI prediction: go to this link
Prediction: Manchester United 1, Liverpool 1
As always, feel free to post your own score prediction, and starting XI prediction in the comments section.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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