MAN U v WOLVES: The Striker previews the Premier League fixture on Monday between MAN U v WOLVES with a recommended BETDAQ bet and extended match stats.
MANCHESTER UNITED V WOLVES
5.30pm Monday Evening Football replaces Monday Night Football this week for Bank Holiday Monday as Manchester United host Wolves! We have plenty of talking points heading into this fixture, and I’m sure there will be some big opinions on the Manchester United of 1.66 on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. United silenced the doubters (for now!) last Thursday with a 3-1 win over Burnley, however the jury is still definitely out on this squad.
As I said before the Burnley game, they now have a manager who is focused on hard work, covering more ground and just putting more effort into their game in general. When you looked at United’s stats, they were last or at least in the bottom three who everything in those areas and it seemed an easy thing to target for Ralf Rangnick. It also seemed like something that would suit Rangnick as he usually targeted those things at past clubs too. However, we have basically just read bad stories about most of the United set-up in the press since. It seems the tap has been turned on when it comes to leaks now, and it’s also turned the focus to the players – do they really want to change? Will the toys come out of the pram?
With Burnley down towards the bottom of the table, it was always likely that United wouldn’t be truly tested. Wolves will give them a better game, and we might see a more true reflection of where United currently are. Gary Neville called them a “bunch of whingers” against Newcastle, and they really need to shake off that tag because the fans just won’t accept that. When you think about it, that’s why Arsenal lost so much respect over the past few years, everyone knew they just folded under pressure.
Wolves have had a long gap in the fixture list due to Covid19. Their last fixture was a boring 0-0 at home to Chelsea, and prior to that they broke a run without a win with a 1-0 win over Brighton, however they didn’t play that well and conceded an xG of 1.84 in a game they were lucky to win. Obviously there has to be a little fitness worry about Wolves given the break in play and Covid19, however they have been keeping their recent games very tight. Under 2.5 goals has collected in their last eight games and they have played Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in that run too. I would expect them to be quite negative again here and set up to frustrate this United side.
With United trying to fix their issues at the back, and Rangnick trying to make them more solid – Wolves could actually pull off a draw here. I feel the 1.66 is a little short on United, I know Wolves weren’t in great form before their break but United haven’t exactly been creating a host of chances either. The United lay is tempting, but under 2.5 goals jumps off the page here at 1.87. Wolves haven’t been creating many chances at all recently, and United haven’t been at their best and there does seem to be some unhappiness in the camp too. We could see a very boring affair here.
The Striker Says:
Three points win Under 2.5 goals at 1.87 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQMunwol
MATCH STATS
● Manchester United have won their last three Premier League games against Wolves, last having a longer winning run against them in league competition between 1964 and 1968 (5 games).
● Wolves are winless in their last 10 away league games against Man Utd (D3 L7) since a 1-0 win in February 1980. Wolves have failed to score on seven occasions in that run, netting just three goals in total.
● Wolves haven’t scored first in any of their last 13 Premier League games against Man Utd, since beating them 1-0 at Molineux in January 2004.
● Manchester United have a higher win rate in Premier League games in January than any other side in the history of the competition (65.5% – won 74 of 113 games). Meanwhile, Wolves’ lowest win rate in a specific month in the competition is in January (17.2% – won five of 29 games).
● Manchester United have the highest win rate (64.7%) of all sides in Premier League games played on Mondays (won 44 of 68 games). The Red Devils have lost just one of their last 17 such games (W8 D8), going down 3-0 at home to Spurs in August 2018.
● Wolves have won just four of their 16 Premier League games played on Mondays (D4 L8) – it’s their lowest win rate on any day of the week on which they’ve played more than once in the competition (25%).
● Manchester United have won their first league game in five of the last six calendar years, with the exception being a 2-0 loss at Arsenal in 2020.
● Wolves haven’t won their first game of the calendar year in any of their seven previous Premier League campaigns (D2 L5), with their last such win as a top-flight side coming in 1981 against Middlesbrough.
● None of Wolves’ last seven Premier League games has seen more than one goal (3x 0-0, 2x 1-0 wins, 2x 1-0 losses). Only two sides have ever had longer such runs in the competition’s history – Crystal Palace (8 between November 1994-January 1995) and Burnley (9 between April 2015-August 2016).
● Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo’s first ever Premier League start came in a match against Wolves, with the Red Devils winning 1-0 on August 27th 2003 thanks to a John O’Shea strike.
