Weekend Outlook (24 May 2009)

Hull City vs Manchester United

"...Will Ronaldo risk injury thereby risking his place in the ECL, just to chase the Golden Boot?..."

- JayWalk, 23 May 2009

One point is all we needed and one point is all we took.

We are the Champions!

Again!

It was a boring drab of a game so bad that it would have driven a sloth to suicide.

But hey, what can you do? On one hand, all you need is a draw, then on the other hand, no one out there wants to overexert himself and risk injury, thereby jeopardising his place in the Champions League Final squad. See where I am going with this?

So anyway, we did what we have to and even playing at times with 10 defenders like Liverpool. =P

Looking ahead, we have the ECL final in Rome in just a few days' time.

Let's hope we can make history and be the first team to successfully defend the ECL title.

JayWalk The Talk: There has been rumour that the squad list for the ECL final has been leaked and in it says that Berbatov and Tevez are omitted from the squad, leaving us to speculate that Fergie may opt for the 4-5-1 formation with Ronaldo as the lone striker.

Bullocks!

Let's not get ahead of ourselves and settle one game at a time, can?

Van dar Sar is definitely going to be rested for he has already clinched the Golden Glove Award for the most number of clean sheets. That means Kuszczak or even newbie Amos will get a chance to start.

At the back, Brown and Ferdinand will feature as both just returned from injury and will be using this game to regain some match fitness as well as sharpness. The other 2 places would be interesting if we throw in the da Silva twins. Confirm to confused everybody from, the Hull players, the referees and maybe even our own boys!

Fletcher will be playing since he is suspended from the ECL final. Poor chap must be heartbroken but if it is any consolation, Fergie will give him the Captain's armband to take his merrymen onto the pitch for the final game of the EPL season.

Park and O'Shea are already promised a place in the ECL squad and so we won't be expecting to see them this weekend.

Up front, if we are to send out the complete B-team to fulfill this fixture, then it would mean a no-show for Messrs Ronaldo, Rooney and Berbatov. So that means a good chance for the noobs like Macheda and Welbeck to lead the attack.

Tevez? Nah. He waved his final farewell to the Old Trafford crowd remember? I'd bet his departure was cast in stone even before the Arsenal game. Read the body language when he was being substituted. He has been telling us that all the while.

I have a gut feel that against conventional wisdom, we may just see Ronaldo playing today. He is tied 18 goals alongside with Chelsea's Anelka. With Chelsea playing against struggling Sunderland and no need to save up for any more games, you'd be sure that Anelka will be going all out to bang in the goals and grab the Golden Boot.

So. Will Ronaldo risk injury thereby risking his place in the ECL, just to chase the Golden Boot?

JayWalk The Walk: Despite a confirmed B-team, ManUtd still have to give a 0.25-ball handicap and a 2.025 decimal odds to beat it? Looks like Hull City is the more favoured side by the bookies but the punters seem to disagree as 70% of the wagers are punting on ManUtd to beat the 0.25-ball handicap.

Despite a meaningless game this Sunday with a B-team, ManUtd has only dropped points once in 6 years on the last day of the season and that was the 0-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham, costing us the title and Steven Bruce his tenure at ManUtd.

Verdict? Forget about this game and bet on other more interesting games like relegation fights or the race to get the last Europa League spot.

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.