PREMIER LEAGUE MONDAY: The Striker previews MANCHESTER UNITED v LEEDS with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MANCHESTER UNITED V LEEDS
8pm We have Monday Night Football from the Premier League on Betdaq Betting Exchange this week! We have a cracker too as Manchester United host Leeds at Old Trafford – the gulf in class between the sides is massive these days, but it’s still one of English football’s most historic and fiercely contested rivalries. With seven games to go and everything to play for at both ends of the table, we have high stakes here too. United look to be in a very strong position for Champions League football next season now, but they need to finish the job. Leeds are still just on the edge of relegation worries and the results for Spurs and Nottingham Forest on Sunday will be very important after West Ham beat Wolves on Friday night too.
Most of the news this week around the two sides has been that both clubs have agreed a pre-season friendly at Croke Park in Dublin on August 12th. A historic occasion – it will be the first club football match ever played at GAA headquarters, and the first football fixture there since Ireland’s World Cup playoff against France in 2009. There is, however, a catch; Leeds will not be able to fulfil the fixture if they are relegated! Manchester United, who trained at Carton House in Kildare earlier this week as part of their build-up, are committed to the Croke Park date regardless. It’s massive news in Ireland, but some of the United players laughed when the media asked them are the excited for it – it is only a friendly after all!
The reason for United’s journey to Ireland was basically lack of fixtures. They have had a record low amount of games this season after exiting the Carabao Cup and FA Cup so early. Obviously they had no fixture last weekend with the FA Cup, and then had to wait until Monday night for this fixture. United come into this game well rested anyway; their last league outing was the win over Bournemouth, meaning they will have had a 24 day break between matches. Michael Carrick has been able to use this period wisely, and the Dublin training camp was clearly part of that plan. Although no European football is always a nightmare for clubs, it does allow for a much improved performance level domestically.
The underlying numbers make impressive reading for United. Their average xG created of 1.77 is the best attacking figure in the Premier League this season, and their average xG conceded of 1.30 is the fifth best defensive figure. They have been sloppy at times at the back – old habits die hard – but you can see things are going well. Leeds have also been playing well; they shouldn’t be in the relegation battle. Their average xG created of 1.38 is a mid-table figure, which is decent enough, and their average xG conceded of 1.40 is also mid-table. They are on a bad run though; winless in six and have failed to score in their last four. They need something good to happen to change the momentum.
It’s no surprise that United come into the game as the odds on favourites at 1.65 with Leeds 5.7 and the draw is 4.4 at the time of writing. The International Break probably came at a good time for Leeds just to break up that poor run. They need to start scoring goals again. They have looked toothless lately. The one positive is the morale boost from their FA Cup run – they beat West Ham on penalties to reach the Semi-Final last weekend, their first in 39 years. United do concede chances, and while I want to keep stakes low, I do see goals here. Over 2.5 goals is trading 1.79 and I feel that offers more value than the United win at a shorter price.
The Striker Says:
Two points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.79 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/PLMuLe
