Manchester derby to be high scoring again

Tuesday’s English Premier League’s Manchester derby will have to be sensational to match that of Sunday’s Spanish Primera Division’s Clasico but there are sound grounds for betting on another high-scoring blockbuster battle.

The reverse English Premier League fixture at the Etihad Stadium ended 4-1 in favour of Manchester City, with three goals spread across six minutes either side of half time putting the game to bed. Manchester United had no answer to Manchester City‘s attacking prowess as, for the third time in a row and the sixth time in seven, the Manchester derby went over two and a half goals. Indeed, five of the last seven Manchester derbies have had at least five goals.

Manchester United was without four central defenders for its 2-0 English Premier League away win over West Ham, meaning that Michael Carrick had to deputise in defence. It will be all hands to the pump again for Manchester United in its local grudge match because Nemanja Vidic remains suspended, not that the outgoing stopper has been in great form this season. Manchester United’s first-choice defence has not been brilliant so one must wonder how its B-team rearguard will cope with the weapons that Manchester City boasts.

Manchester City central defender Martin Demichelis must have photos of Manuel Pellegrini doing something naughty because that is the only rational explanation for the Citizens boss picking the Argentinian. One wonders how many more mistakes it is going to take for Demichelis to lose his place in the Manchester City starting line-up. One can almost guarantee that Demichelis will have a brainsnap at some point during the 90 minutes and hand a chance on a plate to an opponent.

A draw would probably be sufficient to keep Manchester City in pole position to win the English Premier League title but one cannot imagine the Citizens playing for one and nor can one see Manchester United settling for a share of spoils. It would do wonders for Manchester United’s confidence and the stock of its under-fire manager, David Moyes, if it defeated Manchester City and damaged its rival’s championship quest.

Bet on the English Premier League game between Manchester United and Manchester City going over two and a half goals at odds of 1.70 with Bet365 and Betfair’s sportsbook.

The English Premier League match between West Ham and Hull at the Boleyn Ground may not be anywhere near as thrilling as the one at Old Trafford, with numbers supporting a punt on under two and a half goals at odds of 1.67 with several bookmakers, including BetVictor and Stan James.

West Ham’s 30 English Premier League games have featured an average of 2.40 goals, ranking the Hammers 17th out of 20 in terms of entertainment value. Hull ranks 19th because its 30 English Premier League matches have had a mean of 2.30 goals and 22 Tigers games have gone under two and a half goals, a tally that only Crystal Palace (23 out of 30) can better.

Hull beat West Ham 1-0 in the English Premier League clash between the teams at the KC Stadium and even then it took a successful penalty kick to see the old onion bag rustle.

Finally, Liverpool versus Sunderland smacks of an English Premier League fixture in which the home side has all the ball and the away team tries to limit damage in its fight against relegation. Sunderland has picked up only one point from its last four English Premier League matches and it would not the stupidest thing for the Black Cats to play for a low-scoring loss at Anfield, one that does not kill their goal difference. Certainly Sunderland will probably think that they should focus their efforts on defeating West Ham at the Stadium of Light next time out than exerting too much energy trying to get something out of its visit to Anfield.

Liverpool beat Sunderland 3-1 on Wearside six months ago so there is no argument that the Reds are worthy of being very short odds to do the double over the Black Cats. Ladbrokes is offering odds of 2.00 that Liverpool wins to nil and that, given that Sunderland may not be all that ambitious, seems like a reasonable way of backing the red-hot Reds.