Premier League betting – West Ham v Man United

West Ham v Man United betting odds, tips & free bets

Manchester United will be wanting to put a bad March, that saw them lose two matches in the league, behind them with a good win against West Ham on Saturday. The Hammers though will be looking to continue their impressive league form that has recently lifted them out of the relegation zone. West Ham won this fixture in the Carling Cup back in November but suffered a 4-0 defeat the last time the two sides met at Upton Park in the league.

West Ham

The Hammers look to have finally found some form in the league after losing only 1 of their last 6. The return to fitness of Tomas Hitzlsperger has been instrumental to their success as he has struck up a successful partnership with Scott Parker in the centre of midfield and equally as important, Demba Ba has started to show his quality up front. The striker has scored 5 goals in his last 4 games and is a great bet at 3.6 with Coral to score at any time. Unbeaten in their last 4 West Ham have scored an impressive 9 goals and definitely have a chance against Manchester United in the Saturday lunch time kick off if they can keep it tight at the back. Despite their good form the East-Londoners are still outsiders but nicely priced at 4.8 with betfair. Goals have definitely been the theme for West Ham fans recently as their last 2 home games have produced 7 goals so odds of 4.5 from Skybet for both teams to score first half are definitely worth a look.

Man United

Man United’s position at the top of the table is starting to look slightly unstable after back to back defeats in March so Alex Ferguson will be wanting to get back to winning ways after the international break. All 3 of The Red Devil’s league defeats have come on the road this season but Man United are still firm favourites and best priced at 1.83 with boylesports. Though a 2-1 away win is showing better odds of 9.0 at betfair even though Rio Ferdinand could still be absent through injury at the back for the league leaders. Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney should continue up front together after forming a formidable partnership recently. Hernandez in particular has scored 10 goals in 21 league games and is a great bet at 7.0 with Victor Chandler to open the scoring on the day.

Highlighted Bets

Demba Ba anytime scorer – 3.6 Coral
West Ham WIN – 4.75 Victor Chandler
Both teams to score first half – 4.75 Coral
2-1 Man United WIN – 8.5 Bet 365

By Sam Markham

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Premiership Relegation Betting 11/12

Get ready for the might of Norwich, QPR and Swansea! Not impressed? No, these are not the usual yo-yo teams the Premiership has seen a lot lately. But the example of Blackpool, at least for half a season, suggests the gap between the Championship and Premier League is not expanding that much.

Other than the three promoted teams, there are only four teams under 5.00; Blackburn, West Brom, Wigan and Wolves. In assessing the chances the new Premiership teams have, it is prudent to see what steps the relegation threatened teams of last year have made.

Online bookmakers have introduced some special betting markets in the Premiership relegation market, including “To Finish Bottom”. This market is dominated by Hull 13/8 and Stoke 15/8. West Brom are available at best odds 7/1 to finish bottom. Not since Southampton in 04/05 has bottom position been filled by a team who wasn’t promoted the previous year.

Starting with Wolves we have a team who have acted swiftly to secure last season’s impressive loan capture Jamie O’Hara, who will continue to add guile and hard work to the midfield. His ability to deliver telling passes and the odd goal could be crucial in a team more efficient in defence than attack. Manager Mick McCarthy has built a team based on a real work ethic and defensive stability, and new £7m centre back Roger Johnson will add a touch of class to that, a man who must be on the edge of the England squad. With Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher both having proved themselves capable of scoring in the top league there’s no doubting McCarthy will be happy to continue his building process at the club. But can they get the big wins against Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City that were so important last season? They were down without these unexpected victories and may not get even one point against any of these teams next year. Wolves are best priced at 3.75 with Bet365.

Wigan look set to lose players again, with the star of their survival run Charles N’Zogbia being strongly chased by Aston Villa and rumours of Everton’s interest too. The attacking team that lack goals and look poor in defence, many managers have done wonders keeping the side in the division. As with every season, they look a team ready to be relegated, yet they somehow survive and they must be credited for that. There’s no doubt a bet on Wigan will give you a run for your money, but they find their fight when the going gets tough. Transfer business so far has only seen them sign Ali Al-Habsi on a permanent deal after a very impressive loan spell. Wigan are a best priced 3.00 with William Hill.

Blackburn are the most intriguing of these seven sides. No signings, players leaving and more expressing their desire to go, a rookie manager and owners who seem reluctant to sanction anything but glamour transfers. Stand out young star Phil Jones has left for Manchester United, Christopher Samba wants to join Arsenal and Jermaine Jones, who was at times fantastic in Blackburn’s midfield, has returned whence he came after his loan deal expired. A club who looked safe every year with Allardyce at the helm slipped into a relegation fight once he was sacked, and having crashed to successive defeats as new manager Steve Kean tried to get them playing prettier football, the Allardyce up and at ‘em style saved them come May. But this transfer window has only seen them go backwards so far.
Is Jason Roberts enough of a goal threat to keep them in the division? Can Paul Robinson keep looking like a man challenging for an England place? Back Blackburn at 5.00 with Coral.
The rest have shown desire to strengthen, a fear of last season’s wide open relegation battle seeing wallets spring open. Sunderland have brought in nine players, including Wes Brown and John O’Shea from Manchester United to bring defensive experience to their side. Newcastle have snapped out Demba Ba, who scored seven times in ten Premier League starts for the abysmal West Ham last season, alongside a few potentially inspired signings from France, whilst Stoke have proved themselves to be in the market after advanced talks with Carlton Cole (although the breakdown of these talks may be a blessing in disguise). All this leaves Aston Villa as the only side who have seriously weakened, whilst adding a manager relegated with Birmingham last year, but they have money to spend and have already brought in proven performer Shay Given.
And so the promoted teams may have come to the promised land in the year everyone realises they had a lucky escape last time round and must spend to escape the same situation repeating. Unfortunately, there has been no signing to inspire any confidence in their escape. Danny Graham (Swansea), Steve Morison (Norwich) and Jay Bothroyd (QPR) all played well in the Championship, but are not signings of proven quality. The big money at QPR seems not to be forthcoming, and although statistically unlikely, it seems the three sides coming up really could go straight back down.
Over the last five years the average time that newly promoted clubs spent in the Premier League was 1.9 seasons, and the last time that all three promoted clubs managed to avoid immediate relegation was 2000/01. Over the last ten years the team promoted as champions have been relegated after just one season on three occasions, the runners-up on four occasions and the play-off final winners on six occasions. Make of that what you will, but it seems likely that at least one will go.

Recommended bets:

TOP BET:-

QPR to be relegated: 2.88 Coral

Join them in doubles and a treble with:-

Swansea to be relegated: 1.57 Bet 365, Sky Bet and Coral

Blackburn to be relegated: 5.00 Coral

And an outsider for the value seekers:-
Aston Villa (IF the transfer window disappoints) to be relegated: 21.00 Coral, William Hill, Bet 365, Sky Bet, Paddy Power

Premiership outright winner betting preview
Premiership top goalscorer betting preview

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Premiership sack race betting

West Ham boss Alan Pardew is the new favourite to be the next Premiership manager to leave his post after crisis talks with the club’s board. These crisis talks prompted Pardew to be traded as low as 1.08 on Betfair to leave his post.

Following 5 straight defeats and reports of unrest amongst the players following the high profile signings of Argentina World Cup stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, Pardew reportedly offered to resign.

Ladbrokes currently have Pardew at 11/8 favourite, behind the likes of Stuart Pearce 11/2, who has also been under pressure recently following a disappointing start to the season. Gareth Southgate and Glenn Roeder are both available at odds of 8/1 following poor starts to the season.

In other management jobs, 3 Championship clubs WBA, Norwich and Leeds are all without a manager. Bet 365 have odds on all these markets:

Next permanent West Brom Manager:

Dave Jones 11/8
Tony Mowbray 2/1
Alex McLeish 11/4
Nigel Pearson 8/1
Steve Cotterill 8/1

Next permanent Leeds Manager:

John Carver 13/8
Glenn Hoddle 15/8
Gary McAllister 11/4
Dennis Wise 5/1
Alan Curbishley 8/1

Next permanent Norwich Manager:

Mark Bowen 11/4
Kevin Blackwell 2/1
Martin Hunter 8/1
Alan Curbishley 10/1

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Premier League Top Goalscorer Betting

As the Premiership season openers draw closer and closer it is close becoming time to get antepost bets in order. A consistently popular and varied market is that of Top Goalscorer. Last season’s joint winners Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov are far from the thinking of most punters, with the former expected to leave Manchester City and the Premier League shortly and the latter clearly down the pecking order at Champions Manchester United.

It is at United that the two market leaders will be found, with both Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez best priced at 10.00 across the board, and both as short as 8.00 in various places too. The expectation is for Rooney to continue to recover the form that had England dreaming of a World Cup win, having instead stuffered with a World Cup hangover last season and failing to reach anywhere near the levels expected of him until past halfway through campaign. Rooney’s role will be dictated by the players around him. If his partnership with Hernandez continues to flourish, the England striker will drop deeper and create more, whereas in a 4-5-1 with the likes of Ashley Young, Nani and Valencia behind him, Rooney will lead the line and be more selfish in and around the box.

Hernandez is expected to continue his fine form in the red of United, and this time round will have a full season to score goals after he was eased into English football by Sir Alex Ferguson last year. The only problem with playing for such a dominant side is that the manager will manage his squad according the stages of each competition they are in. With Rooney, Hernandez, Owen, Berbatov, Welbeck, Macheda and Young who could line up in attack for the Champions, and a number of different formations they could line up with, playing time will be shared, neither striker will be the only goal threat and the focus on competition/match importance will change.

Another factor affecting Top Goal Scorer betting this season is the African Cup of Nations. The likes of Drogba, Arsenal new boy Gervinho and new Newcastle striker Demba Ba will be away from the league for a month. This is worth noting for any African player that you fancy to bury bundles. The aforementioned Ba could be worth an each way shout even if he misses a month of football. As one of very few who impressed as West Ham were relegated last year, with seven goals in 10 premier league starts, the forward was snapped up by Newcastle for nothing, coming into a side who have added strength across the pitch this transfer window and who will continue to attack in every game. The 67.00 offered by Blue Square is tempting, and with most firms offering around four or five places there is plenty of each way value.

The last major pitfall of the Top Goal Scorer market is the injury prone striker. Robin Van Persie is a world class forward who can carry Arsenal single handedly through tough encounters. But can he stay fit for the majority of the season? If you think he can, 11.00 (skybet, victorchandler, coral) is a cracking price for the man who scored 18 times since the start of 2011 last season, and became the first Premier League player to score in seven successive away games (and ended up scoring in nine consecutive away ties). However, in his seven years with The Gunners he has played only 156 times, which indicates just how often he misses matches, even considering his emergence was blocked by one Thierry Henry.

Having highlighted Rooney, Hernandez and Van Persie, the remaining two of the top five in the market (assuming Tevez is Corinthians bound) are Fernando Torres and Darren Bent. Can Torres banish his demons of last season, under a new boss and within an apparently more attack minded side? It is hard to believe Roman Abramovich would hire a manager who would not make Torres the attacking diamond of a side, and with a full pre-season behind him there can no longer be any excuses for Fernando Torres. If he discovers the form of his early Liverpool days then the 11.00 offered by Victor Chandler and Coral is a must back. As the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent, and there’s no doubting the Spaniard had class not long ago.

England’s Darren Bent is an out and out goalscorer, no doubt about that. The problem with backing him is nothing to do with his ability. Sadly for him, Villa have lost two of the best wingers in the league, and players who enjoy laying on a goal for a striker. The sales of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing mean Bent may lack the class of support he once had, or may have to build new relationships with any incoming signings.

The only man with positives all round him? Andy Carroll. Liverpool have strengthened their supply line without adding to their forward line, and as such there is less competition but plenty of faith for the young striker to work with. With Downing and Adam supplying balls into the box, Gerrard and Suarez playing in the hole, the players are there to feed Carroll, who can dominant in the air and score with both feet. Not only that, Sky Bet and Paddy Power offer 23.00.

There are easy positives behind many players in the market. It comes down to personal opinion, and opinion on not only players, but how teams will do. Not since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the 2000/01 season has a player from outside the top four been top scorer. However, Andy Johnson of relegated Crystal Palace came second in 2004/05, and this highlights that a goalscorer can come from any side, and that there is each way value out there.

Recommended Bets:
Darren Bent e/w 15.00 William Hill
Andy Carroll e/w 23.00 Paddy Power
Demba Ba e/w 67.00 Blue Sq
Wayne Rooney 10.00 William Hill

Premiership outright winner betting preview
Premiership relegation betting betting preview

Premiership Betting

Saturday?s lunchtime live game is a repeat of last season?s FA Cup final with Liverpool hosting West Ham at Anfield. Liverpool are best odds 4/9 with Bet365 whilst West Ham are a standout 15/2 with Betfred. If you fancy a repeat of last season?s FA Cup Final 3-2 score line Total Bet offer odds of 28/1.

Another exciting fixture in Saturday?s other TV game Man City vs Arsenal. The Gunners have beaten City in 9 of the last 10 league encounters, and Betfair offer 8/11 about Wenger?s men getting all 3 points this time. If you fancy City to turn the tables on Arsenal and get a win Bet 365 offer odds of 9/2.

Blackburn are best price 6/1 with Stan James to inflict a second defeat on Chelsea in 5 days this Sunday. Mark Hughes will have his troops fired up for the visit of the Blues but will they have enough quality to get their first win of the season? Chelsea are best odds 4/7 with Sky Bet for three points while the draw is a 11/4 with Coral.

Sunday?s other TV match pits Aston Villa, best price 13/10 with Coral against Newcastle 2/1 with VC Bet. The Villains will be popular after taking 4 points from their opening 2 games of the season.

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Premier League betting tips 31/10/09

Arsenal vs Spurs betting preview

As Christmas heads ever closer The Barclays Premier League table is taking its usual shape with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United dominating at the top, with Arsenal doing better than they have in recent years, followed by a resurgent Tottenham Hotspur and a dissapointing Liverpool outfit. Although not a weekend where one of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool take on another of the supposed ‘Big Four’, the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham takes place at the Emirates Stadium in Saturday’s early kick-off at 12.45, and who knows, next season, this could be a clash of two of the ‘Big Four’.

Arsenal and Spurs have always had a great rivalry with classic moments on and off the pitch, but the best part about the local rivalry is that we still get good games between them. Local Derbies have really gone downhill in recent years, the Merseyside Derby dragging out longer than what’s needed, and with the exception of the game earlier this season, the Manchester Derby has been drab with little or no shocks in recent years. However, the North London Derby has always been fantastic and continues to be so. With Spurs once again looking like a top 4 contender and Arsenal looking like title challengers, this could be a cracker. However, both teams are coming off bad results from last weekend, with Arsenal drawing 2-2 at West Ham, and Stoke City pulling off the shock of the weekend by beating Spurs 0-1 at White Hart Lane.

Most bookmakers are making Arsenal favourites, with Ladbrokes offering 8/13 for an Arsenal win. A Spurs win is backed at 5/1 over at Coral, and may not be a bad shout, but I can see this game heading for a score draw, and think 5/1 for a draw over at Coral has to be taken. Last year Arsenal dominated at home against Spurs, only for Harry Redknapp’s team to score two late goals to make it a draw and share the points. Expect that to happen again, and if you’re feeling lucky take up Ladbrokes 14/1 odds on Arsenal winning at half-time and then the teams drawing come full-time.

Bolton vs Chelsea betting preview

Another  Saturday kick-off is Bolton vs. Chelsea at the Reebok Stadium. The bookmakers are making Chelsea heavy favourites with the best odds over at Ladbrokes with 4/9 for a Chelsea win. Although I cannot see past a Chelsea win, I suggest you take a look at Ladbrokes 15/4 bet for Bolton to score first, and Chelsea to score last. Chelsea have been conceding first in a fair few of their games this season (Hull, Sunderland, Stoke) and with their defence struggling at set-pieces, expect Bolton to take advantage of this with Matty Taylor’s precise set-pieces and Kevin Davies’ aerial strength – don’t forget, last season Bolton were 4-0 down against the Blues and managed to pull back 3 goals in about 20 minutes. However, with the two teams meeting midweek in the Carling Cup and Chelsea winning 4-0, I fully expect Carlo Ancelotti’s men to take all three points.

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Premier League betting tips 28/11/2009

This weekend you can find a fantastic Super Sunday line up featuring the Merseyside and London derby’s respectively. A struggling Liverpool side will travel a few miles across to the blue half of the city to take on Everton at Goodison Park, Arsenal meanwhile host Chelsea at the Emirates in a clash that will not decide the title but may well give us an inclination of both teams’ title aspirations.

Portsmouth vs Man Utd betting preview

Man Utd travel to Portsmouth looking to gain some momentum in a title charge. The same time last year the Red Devils managed to put together a 16 game unbeaten run on the way to winning another successive Premiership title and Sir Alex Ferguson will be looking for his team to do the same again in order to keep the pressure on Chelsea. United have a good history of bouncing back after defeats so I would not pay attention to the midweek Champions League result where they fielded an youthful inexperienced side. The likes of Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher look likely to return. Portsmouth have had another busy week behind the scenes after dispatching the services of Paul Hart that has come somewhat of a surprise even though the team currently languish at the bottom of the table. Currently 4 points off 17th Pompey could do with a win and should be fired up for the game against the champions, a win would do a lot for the confidence of the South Coast club. I would back Man Utd to come away with a narrow victory here, the best odds are given over at Blue Square at 2/5 for a win and Wayne Rooney to be first goal scorer at 7/2.

Everton vs Liverpool betting preview

The first of the Super Sunday games see Everton take on Liverpool, both clubs have been struggling for form in recent weeks with injuries ravaging both their squads. David Moyes men will want to take advantage of Liverpool’s slump and will be buoyed by the return of their influential combative midfielder Marouane Fellaini. Captain Phil Neville is still sidelined after being forced to undergo surgery on the knee he injured against Fulham in September but Steven Pienaar has been training all week and looks likely to start. Liverpool after being dumped out of the Champions League this week will now look to focus on securing a top four finish and will see the Everton game as the spark to reignite their season. Torres will still be sidelined for the fixture but Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Javier Mascherano should all start. Despite the return of their influential skipper I think the accumulative injuries of both sides will mean weakened sides being used meaning a draw looks the most likely result, the best odds are offer over at Skybet.com at 12/5.

Arsenal vs Chelsea betting preview

The next of the Super Sunday games see Arsenal host Chelsea, Arsenal will want to get their title challenge back on track after their 1-0 loss to Sunderland last weekend where Arsene Wenger labelled his side ‘chokers’. Arsenal may well look to Theo Walcott to bolster a depleted attacking line up after sustaining injuries to Van Persie and Bendtner respectively, the best odds on him to be first goal scorer can be found over at Betfred.com at 12/1. Chelsea are still going strong in all competitions and kept up their winning way with an impressive away win at Porto, Ancelotti is optimistic that Frank Lampard could be fit for Sunday’s clash. Chelsea are not suffering from any major injuries and the likes of top goal scorer Didier Drogba should return after given a midweek rest. I can see Chelsea nicking an away goal and winning this game, you can find the best odds on them to come away from the Emirates with all three points at Bet365 with odds of 7/4.

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Premier League betting tips 7/11/09

Chelsea vs Man Utd betting preview

The biggest game of the Premiership season so far kicks off on Sunday 8th November, when Chelsea take on Manchester United on home turf at Stamford Bridge. With the teams sitting in 1st and 2nd place in the Premiership, this is a chance for either Chelsea to put some space between themselves and United, or a chance for United to bridge the gap, and possibly take over the Blues at the summit of the league.

Pundits and fans alike share the view that one of these two teams will most likely win the title this year, and both teams know each other is their greatest threat, so do not expect this to be a classic. Fully expect both teams to be cautious in their play and risk little going forward as to not expose themselves at the back.

The bookmakers have Chelsea as favourites with the best odds at 11/10, offered at Skybet, Paddy Power and Ladbrokes. United’s best odds of winning the game are over at Coral who are offering 11/4. Although United are reigning Champions and have quality all over the pitch, do not expect them to win this game. Chelsea are very rarely beaten at home even by the big teams, and with United not looking as ruthless in attack as they were last year they will be hoping at best, for a draw. The best odds for a draw are again over at Coral who are offering 23/10, which would give you returns of over double your money, and with both teams not looking to give much away a draw looks a good bet; Chelsea will be at home, but Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson have been in the top of the Premiership game a long time, much longer than Carlo Ancelotti, who will be getting his first real test of the season after brushing aside a Liverpool team in crisis last month. Ladbrokes are giving odds of 11/2 for a full-time draw at 1-1, which could be the most likely result.

Hull City vs Stoke City betting preview

Also this Sunday Hull City host Stoke City in a game that could save or sack Phil Brown. The Tigers are lying 3rd from bottom and anything but a win against Stoke could seal Brown’s fate. It is hard to draw a definition to who is the bookmakers favourites in this tie, as most bookies will give you returns of just under 2/1 for either team to win.

Hull are best odds over at Paddy Power at 7/4, whilst Stoke’s best odds are also there at 6/4. Coral has the best odds of a draw at 23/10. It looks like Stoke City have finally learned how to put in a good performance away from home this season, and this Match looks like it could be theirs for the taking, as Hull, who have looked spineless all season, will be missing their best player (Geovanni) through suspension, and will not be able to cope with Stoke’s physicality towards the game.

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Premier League betting tips 30/01/09

Burnley vs Chelsea betting preview

Saturdays late kick off pits newly promoted Burnley against favourites for the Premier League crown, Chelsea.  Chelsea are clear favourites to win the match having been priced at 1/3 on, and the draw being priced at 9/2.  The odds then are clearly against Burnley at 10/1, but having already beaten Manchester United and drawn with Arsenal at Turf Moor, the Yorkshire club will go into the fixture with nothing to fear and in search of their first win under former Sheffield Wednesday manager Brian Laws. 

Chelsea are looking to follow up their victory over in form Birmingham, who hadn’t lost in 15 games prior to their meeting, with another victory here.  Chelsea may welcome back African Cup of Nations players Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou, but Michael Essien, who injured his knee whilst training during the tournament in Angola, is out for an expected six weeks and will definitely miss out.  Burnley however may give a debut to Leon Cort having signed him from Stoke for a fee of 1.5 million in an attempt to tighten up their somewhat leaky defence.  Burnley fans will be hoping their team can bounce back from their one nil defeat at the hands of Bolton on Tuesday night, which will have hurt more so than often as their former manager Owen Coyle left only weeks ago to join Bolton.  This move was seen as a betrayal by some Burnley fans who showed ‘Judas’ posters at the match.

By avoiding defeat on Saturday, Burnley could climb out of the bottom three, with them currently sitting fourth from bottom on goal difference only.  Chelsea meanwhile will be looking to widen their gap on the Manchester United and Arsenal by doing something neither of them could achieve, winning at Turf Moor.

Chelsea’s run of form has improved in recent weeks, after only managing draws against West Ham and Birmingham in recent weeks, Chelsea have now won their last five in all competitions scoring nineteen goals in the process and only conceding three.  This record dispelled any ideas people had that they would struggle when their African players left.  In contrast Burnley have only won one of their last five, against lower league MK Dons.  In this time they have conceded eight goals and only scored two, leaving fans wondering when the strike partnership of David Nugent and Steven Fletcher will begin to hit some form, with the pair only hitting twelve goals between them all season, Fletcher getting 3/4 of this total.

Chelsea then are odds on favourites to win their sixth game in a row and plunge more misery on already struggling Burnley, but football doesn’t always go to the script and Brian Laws will be hoping his side can get their first win under his guidance.

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Premier League betting tips 30/01/2009

Arsenal vs Man Utd betting preview

This mouth watering top of the table clash has rarely had so such significance in recent seasons. Both sides will be desperate to really outline their title credentials with a victory on Sunday that could tip the balance in their favour. Taking Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Stoke out of the equation, The Gunners have been on a wonderful league run since that demoralising home defeat to rival title contenders Chelsea at the back end of November, unbeaten in the league and go into the match as favourites at around the 11/8 mark.

United have also been on a solid league run and despite their critics this year, and a lack of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, may go into the game top of the league, and as usual will look to improve in the latter stages of the season for a real surge for the title. Odds on a United win are currently at about 15/8 which look like generous odds for the punter considering Arsenal’s injury worries and lack of firepower up front with Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner out, and Eduardo, Theo Walcott and Carlos Vela severely lacking in form.

The draw can be found with odds of about 9/4 and it’s obviously easy to make a case for this outcome. Both sides will be desperate not to lose and this could result in a tactical battle of attrition that results in both sides cancelling each other out.

Looking into some of the other markets and Wayne Rooney is rightly market favourite to score first after this dazzling four goal haul last time out against Hull. Bendtner, who may not even be fit enough for the bench, is Arsenal’s favourite to grab the first goal. Skybet offer intriguing odds of 8/1 that Rooney and Cesc Fabregas – the two form players in the league right now – both get on the scoresheet and this looks an excellent bet as both players have a history of getting on the mark in this fixture.

With an overall look at this game logic would have to go for the draw, Arsenal would settle for this with the run of fixtures they have (Liverpool at home followed by Chelsea away) and as the away team United will settle for a point to take back to Manchester. The outstanding bet for this fixture though would have to be Skybet’s 8/1 offer that Fabregas and Rooney will score and it would be hard to find better value than this in any fixture this weekend.

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