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Search forManchester United face tough Villa test
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 08:00
The champions are subsequently as high as 3/1 with Jaxx.com to defend their crown.
As Chelsea and Liverpool both face very winnable home games this weekend, Sir Alex Ferguson's men can ill afford to drop any more points but they won't find it easy to collect a maximum haul against an Aston Villa side buoyed by last Saturday's win at the Emirates Stadium.
Villa, at 10/11 with Canbet, look like side best equipped to be 'best of the rest' in the Premiership betting without the 'big four' and after seeing United fail to beat Everton, Celtic and the Gunners in consecutive away matches, they will fancy themselves to obtain a result on Saturday.
However, Martin O'Neill's men are lengthy outsiders at 4/1 (Betdaq) to nick all three points and 13/5 (bet365) to earn a share of the spoils, with bookmakers confident United (5/6, Blue Square) can claim a much-needed victory.
The way the champions dismantled Stoke suggests the bookies might be right but it is nevertheless set to be a tight affair, ahead of which United are 11/2 with Victor Chandler to grab the only goal and 13/5 (bet365) to shade it by a one-goal margin.
Betfred meanwhile, rate in-form Cristiano Ronaldo at 4/1 to break the deadlock at Villa Park.
Chelsea are now odds on at 8/11 with Betdirect to land the Premiership crown and they seem a safe bet at 2/9 (Betfred) to accrue another three points as they welcome poor travellers Newcastle to Stamford Bridge.
Canbet mark 11/2 against Luis Felipe Scolari's men registering a 2-0 triumph and in Sportingbet's handicap betting they give the Magpies a mythical goal start but still appeal at 4/6.
Liverpool's relatively straightforward win at Bolton means they remain just behind Chelsea on goal difference and Rafa Benitez's men are now in to 7/2 with Partybets to clinch the title.
They can keep up the pressure on the Blues this weekend too by also recording a comfortable win against a team that struggles on the road, Fulham, at Anfield. The Reds are a 2/7 chance with Coral.
Bet365 make Liverpool 3/4 to prevail by two or more goals and Betdirect have them down at odds of 5/1 to notch twice without reply in a clash Coral quote at 3/1 to conjure up a Fernando Torres opener.
Punters would arguably be better served pulling a result out of the hat at Eastlands where unpredictable Manchester City take on an equally hard-to-fathom Arsenal.
The latter are tentatively fancied at 11/10 (Jaxx.com) to see off the hosts (12/5, Betdirect), though the draw, at 12/5 with bet365, Victor Chandler's 14/1 for a 2-2 scoreline and a tally of more than 2.5 goals (8/11, Blue Square) will probably lure the shrewd.
Saturday's other three fixtures could all result in home wins for Middlesbrough (10/11, Partybets), Portsmouth (5/6, Sportingbet) and Stoke (5/4, Canbet), in their six-pointer against West Brom.
On Sunday, Coral's 4/5 for Tottenham to bounce back from their first defeat under Harry Redknapp by overcoming ailing Blackburn, looks cracking value and at 6/5 (Jaxx.com) Sunderland can send West Ham home empty-handed.
Unbeaten in five but still not firing on all cylinders meanwhile, Everton are 9/5 (Betdaq) to emerge triumphant against Wigan on Monday, though the draw, at 23/10 with bet365 is arguably the best bet at the JJB Stadium.
Odds supplied by www.betrescue.com
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