Weekend Outlook (24 Jan 2009)

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur

"...Makes me wonder why we even bother with the (Carling) Cup. Not like we need to play in the UEFA Cup tournament...."

- JayWalk, 24 Jan 2009

And a happy Chinese New Year to one and all as we enter the 7th out of 8 games in the ridiculously packed January schedule.

So we made it into the finals of the Carling Cup and boy did we have to pay a price for it.

Makes me wonder why we even bother with the Cup. Not like we need to play in the UEFA Cup tournament.

Tottenham Hotspur have it easy this time as whatever the outcome of the the Carling Cup final, they are still heading to Europe next season, even if they have to play in the English Championship League next season.

Looking back at the previous game, while the scoreline of 4-2 and possession of 70% looked impressive, we really struggled to get the ticket to the finals.

JayWalk The Talk: Houston, we have a problem as we run out of defenders coming into this game. Evra, Ferdinand, Brown, Rafael and Evans are all out. Looks like we need to pull Fletcher and O'Shea back into defence to partner Neville and Vidic. And when we lose midfielders to shore up the defence, we are lagi short-handed in the midfield department too. Anderson, Nani and Park are unavailable too. So new signing Tosic will stand a high chance to get his debut today.

Up front, Rooney will definitely start and Welbeck will probably also get a chance to run out to the pitch.

On the Spurs side, fringe players are likely to play today to avoid injuries to their key players. Right now, where they are in the league table, it is wiser to focus on the domestic league and avoid relegation. There isn't much incentive for them to win the FA Cup for after all, they already secure a place in the UEFA Cup on account of their League Cup final ticket.

JayWalk The Walk: ManUtd is giving up a 1.5-ball handicap with a decimal odds of 2.00 to beat it.

Quite a shocker of odds in favour of Spurs which isn't one of those cannon fodder clubs. All this because Redknapp vowed to send in the weakest team lineup possible i.e. they are throwing the FA Cup tournament.

The wager pot right now is in Spurs' advantage with 52% of the punters betting on Spurs to win the handicap.

I agree with them on account of the fact that ManUtd is severely understrength and even if ManUtd were to win against Spurs who is looking to exit the FA Cup tournament, I doubt if it would be by a big scoreline.

Avoid betting ManUtd to beat the 1.5-ball handicap.

Disclaimer: The above views are purely my own two-cents' worth. In other words, I cannot and will not guarantee that my predictions are accurate. If you want to bet on the game, do so at your own risk. Also, please bet responsibly and within your means regardless of how "sure thing" that game may appear to be. As the old saying goes, "The Ball Is Round". Good luck.