Livepool Rested and Ready For Man United?
By MICHAEL DA SILVA
Will Spurs suffer a Champions League hangover? Can Blackpool deny Chelsea’s insatiable appetite for goal? And who will prevail in the early-season basement battle at Stoke?
Among the fascinating Premier League sub-plots there is also a blockbuster, as Liverpool travel to Manchester United in what is a key test to both sides’ resolve, following last week’s hiccups at Birmingham and Everton, respectively.
Manchester United (-150) vs. Liverpool (+500)
So one fixture dominates the build-up to this weekend’s Premier League head-to-heads, with all eyes on Sunday’s clash at Old Trafford. Roy Hodgson got away with resting a host of star names in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Steaua Bucharest in Europa League action.
Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were afforded the luxury of watching from the Anfield stands, but both are integral to Liverpool’s hopes of taking points fromRaul Meireles is fitting in pefectly in Liverpool's midfield. bitter rivals Manchester United.
Far from being a bed of roses, things are looking somewhat brighter for Liverpool, with the Portuguese Raul Meireles showing signs that he will settle in the center midfield alongside Lucas or Poulsen. Joe Cole, too, is back from suspension following his opening day dismissal against Arsenal, bolstering a decent Liverpool forward-line.
But Liverpool’s problems are not in attack, even if Torres’ struggles to perform following his summer haircut.
Defensively, Liverpool will labor against Wayne Rooney and an in-form Dimitar Berbatov, with their only respite coming with the news that Antonio Valencia, the influential provider of many assists throughout last season, is set to be out until at least February following the stomach-turning ankle break. Liverpool left-back Paul Konchesky will certainly be relieved, that’s for sure.
"You can never be 100 percent accurate in these situations and it is a bad injury, but we are looking at the end of February, which is better than we thought on Tuesday,'' said the United boss Alex Ferguson.
"Antonio had a great season last year,'' he said. “He was a great signing for us. He is a young player who has been improving all the time. But having players like Nani, Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-sung, plus Gabriel Obertan and Bebe means we have options.''
Park Ji-Sung is a man for the big occasions and, if he starts, is always worth backing to score. In the corresponding fixture last season, in March, it was Park’s crucial strike that gave United a 2-1 victory over the Reds. Park is +1200 to net the first goal, but a safer bet would be to back him at +450 to score at any time.
Berbatov took his goal at Everton like a man on the top of his game and, although predictable, the Bulgarian should be backed to find the net at +150. As a realistic shot at bagging the first, +550 would also be a wise move.
Given the way both sides are playing, do not expect a goal-fest. In fact, with Jamie Carragher on the pitch, odds of +1300 for an own goal should not be dismissed
Prediction: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool (+600)
Sunderland (+550) vs. Arsenal (-150)
Always an interesting fixture, especially given Sunderland’s ability to turn the Stadium of Light into a cauldron when the big teams come to town, so expect a close battle on Saturday.
Darren Bent is an experienced Premier League campaigner. Sunderland’s $20million new signing Asamoah Gyan (+300 to score anytime) could start the game given his debut goal at Wigan last weekend, forming a potentially lethal partnership with England’s Darren Bent in attack.
Bent, scorer of 26 goals in 42 games for Sunderland, is also Sunderland’s penalty taker and, in a feverish atmosphere on Wearside, the referee may be swayed into awarding a spot-kick. A very interesting bet is +3600 for Darren Bent to score, penalty or not, in a 1-1 draw.
The key battle will be between Bent and new Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny. Koscielny has already proved himself to be a sturdy addition Arsene Wenger’s squad and has seamlessly fit into the Gunners’ back four.
But Bent is an experienced Premier League campaigner and it was his goal that saw off Arsenal 1-0 in the corresponding fixture last season. He remains key to Sunderland’s hopes on Sunday, and if he can apply his guile to get the better of the Frenchman, Arsenal may struggle.
Further cause to worry for Arsenal is the news that Abou Diaby, Thomas Vermaelen, Niklas Bendtner, Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie are all missing, meaning they are once again suffering from the injury curse that has plagued their past few seasons.
But bettors may be interested to hear that Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 11 away matches in all competitions, so steer clear of backing that eventuality.
Expect a close, physical battle between these sides, especially given recent comments by Arsene Wenger that opposing teams play a deliberately “committed” style against his team to unsettle them. So I would certainly back a card before the 33rd minute, with tempting odds of +100.
Given his two red cards in less than 90 minutes this season, I would be advising to back a Lee Cattermole red card but, predictably, he starts another two-match ban on Sunday.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal (+700)