FC Basel v Manchester United betting

FC Basel: Group Position: 3rd, Group Form: WDLDW

Basel travelled to Old Trafford in September as expected whipping boys and came away with a point. But that was not the whole story. Two nil down inside 20 minutes, the game looked over for the team storming the Swiss top division. However, not only did they battle back to parity, which is not a familiar occurrence for away side at United, they actually went 3-2 ahead, and were only pinned back for the draw by a stoppage time Ashley Young header.

Basel vs Man Utd odds

This year they have already bettered their points tally from last year’s group stages, but come into the last game with the daunting task, albeit at home, of having to beat Manchester United to qualify for the knockout stages. Mere minutes they may have been from an away victory in the reverse fixture, but this is pressure time against last year’s beaten finalists.

The threat will surely come from the man who scored two at Old Trafford; Alexander Frei.

Manchester United: Group Position: 2nd, Group Form: DDWWD

Manchester United travel to Switzerland needing only to avoid defeat. You would imagine this a rather straightforward assignment for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, but they have been a little inconsistent in this season’s Champions League. Two home 2-2 draws, one with Basel the other last time out against Benfica, have shown United to be a little bit vulnerable.

Having recovered from their defeat to Crystal Palace last week in the League Cup by defeating Aston Villa away from home, can United now come here and do a professional job? The likelihood is that even with victory they will finish second in a group they should be topping, and will find themselves facing a much harder knockout stage than they usually expect.

Having used this competition to rotate his side, Sir Alex surely will not risk their Champions League place by dropping big names? The squad is a little bare up top, with Hernandez following Berbatov and Owen into the physio room this weekend, and Danny Welbeck short of match fitness. Wayne Rooney could lead the line and be supported by a five man midfield to secure a tight match and passage to the next round.

Match Prediction: DRAW – 4.00 Stan James

Manchester United are coming to Switzerland to take qualification and leave. Nothing else. How they get there is not important as long as the job is done. Their indifferent performances in the competition, only beating bottom placed Otelul Galati so far, have stuck them in second place and in an uncomfortable last game situation.

Basel proved themselves able of scoring against United, not many teams get three goals at Old Trafford, but this time round United will be looking to suffocate them and the flow of the game. For all their flair, Sir Alex’s teams know how to bore out a result.

Since the crushing defeat to Manchester City in October only two of United’s games have had over 2.5 goals, the 2-2 draw with Benfica and the 3-0 victory over Aldershot. That Aldershot game on the 25^th October is the last time United scored more than two in a game. They’ve tried to tighten up, back to grinding wins, and a ground out point here is all they need.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals – 2.2 Ladbrokes

First Goalscorer: Ashley Young – 9.5 Bet 365

Correct Score: 1-1 Draw – 8.5 William Hill

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