NUMBER TIME TO SEIZE THE MO-MENT
Salah can cause Ten Hag further angst
WHAT do you do with a team like Manchester United?
That’s the question Erik Ten Hag must be asking himself as he prepares to face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Old Trafford for the second time in three weeks.
It’s also a question that will be haunting punters preparing to gamble their hard-earned cash on the biggest match of the weekend.
United boss Ten Hag saw his side battle back against the odds to win in extra-time against Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield side in their recent FA Cup clash – but since then he’s also watched them twice throw away a lead after the 98th minute and collect only one point from games at Brentford and Chelsea.
How Ten Hag picks his side up after that extraordinary 4-3 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Thursday is anyone’s guess.
It’s no surprise the bookies have Liverpool as hot favourites – it’s 17-25 for the away win with BetMGM, while United are as big as 15-4 with bet365, with the draw also 15-4 with Betfair.
Liverpool – now 6-5 favourites for the title – must still travel to the likes of Everton, West Ham and Aston Villa but this is a game where a win can set them up for the run-in – particularly as Klopp’s men have only won two of their last 12 visits to United.
And while they were unlucky not to win the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford, I reckon they will make amends this time.
United have found the net in their last 16 games in all competitions but my hunch is that run may come to an end here, so I’m going for a 2-0 Liverpool victory at odds of 12-1 with bet365 and William Hill. You can also grab odds of 3-1 that Liverpool win and don’t concede. I’d prefer to take the same odds with Sky Bet that Liverpool win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1.
It’s hard to look past 22-goal Mo Salah for a likely match-winner.
The Egyptian striker got Liverpool’s second goal the last time the sides met and prior to Thursday’s 3-1 win over Sheffield United, he had scored in Liverpool’s previous three matches.
He’s certainly been a thorn in the side of the United defence over the years, scoring 13 times against them and providing four assists.
He’s so much more than a goalscorer, with 13 assists in all competitions this term – he’s around 15-8 to provide an assist tomorrow.
Needless to say, he’s only 4-5 to score at any time, so I’d suggest taking the 7-2 that he scores the opening goal.
Given United’s dreadful record of having conceded more shots in 2024 than any other side in Europe’s traditional top five leagues, I wouldn’t be surprised if Salah rewarded punters backing him at 5-2 with Sky Bet that he gets three shots or more on target.
Alexis Mac Allister has also hit a rich vein of form recently, scoring in four of his last five appearances for his club, as well as bagging one for Argentina in the midst of those.
Having found the net in midweek, he’s certainly worth taking here at 4-1 to score at any time or a big 14-1 to get the last goal.
His contribution with assists has been equally important, with five in the league and two in Europe, so he’s worth taking at 3-1 to set up at least one goal.