Swansea vs Manchester United Betting Pick | English Premier

English Premier

2011-11-19 - Swansea vs Manchester United

A Sports Betting Pick by Auls

Swansea v Manchester United
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 19 November 2011 - Kick Off 5:30pm
This game is live on TV

Swansea

Swansea have been another one of the promoted teams that have been a revelation this season, basing much of their early success on a strong record at the Liberty Stadium. They have also begun to found their feet away from home, most notably when earning a 0-0 draw at Liverpool last time out in a game where they created a number of opportunities to win the game. Brendan Rodgers believes that was the game that made his players 'proper' Premier League ones, but now they face another huge challenge.

The point gained at Anfield moved Swansea up to 10th in the Premier League, improving their point tally to 13 for the season. They have improved away from home, but it is here that the Swans have made it count, going 3-2-0 in their early games at the Liberty Stadium, scoring 8 goals and only conceding 1. Swansea have the best defensive record at home so far this season.

Improved form has seen the team lose just 1 of their last 5 games and, more importantly, they have been picking up points against the teams that are projected to be around the bottom half of the table in May. Swansea have struggled defensively away from home, but the goal scored by Bolton in their last home game is the only goal they have conceded at home.

Steven Caulker and Stephen Dobbie are both doubtful for this game, but Neil Taylor will be available despite missing the Wales friendly game last Saturday.

Manchester United

Manchester United have bounced back from the disappointment of the Manchester Derby and have got back to the business of winning games. Financial reports released by the club this week would have been a cause for concern for supporters taking a deeper interest in the club, although things seem to be settling down on the field.

It was a fast and furious start to the season for the Champions, but they have cooled off of late and are doing well to stay within range of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. United sit 5 points behind City as they look to improve their 3-2-0 away record. the team have scored 10 goals and conceded 3 in their 5 away games this season, giving them the joint best away defence so far.

Since conceding all those goals against City, United have come back with 4 straight wins, all of those coming with the bonus of a clean sheet. The re-introduction of Nemanja Vidic has been a huge boost to the team, as they go back to the basics which have led to consecutive 1-0 wins in the Premier League. United have won 3 straight away games in all competitions, but the win at Everton was their first in 3 Premier League games having drawn at Stoke and Liverpool before that.

There were a few injuries in the squad before the international break for Sir Alex Ferguson to contend with, but some of those have had the time to clear up. Rafael was back in training and could play some part in this game, while Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young and Anderson should all return. Ryan Giggs is a major doubt, while Chris Smalling and Michael Owen miss out. Danny Welbeck withdrew from the England squad during the week, but is not expected to miss too much time for United.

Head to Head

The last time Swansea entertained Manchester United in a League game came back in the 1982/83 season in a game that finished 0-0.

United have failed to score in their last 2 visits to Swansea, although this will be the first time they have met at the Liberty Stadium.

Prediction

This is not going to be an easy game for Manchester United and I think anyone backing them at the short odds being quoted are going to have a fairly nervous time watching this game.

Swansea have shown their ability at home, and have also begun to turn things on when on their travels. They showed they can upset a few apple-carts this season in a close loss at Arsenal and an impressive draw at Liverpool and they will not feel overawed playing a United team that is not playing the attacking football that saw them rack up big wins earlier this season.

I have said in a couple of previews that it seems United are more intent in making sure they perform defensively, especially since the loss to City, and the returning Nemanja Vidic has made them more solid.

United also have some match winners in the squad that are capable of getting a goal so I can understand why people would want to back them.

Personally I can see United winning this game after a really tough battle, and therefore I would rather pick them to win by exactly 1 goal at odds of 3.60 at Victor Chandler.

Swansea don't really strike me as a team that will get hammered at home too often as they are a team that likes to get the ball down and keep possession, while United will want to concentrate defensively and won't go hell for leather for more goals if they do move in front, much as they did at Everton recently.

I did consider the 'Both Teams to Score' market, but Sir Alex Ferguson has set his side out to be hard to beat of late, so there is the potential for this to be a tight game settled by just 1 goal.

The Statistics :

SWANSEA LAST SIX HOME FORM
	DATE	RESULT		OPPOSITION
	2011-10-29	W	3-1	H v Bolton
	2011-10-02	W	2-0	H v Stoke_City
	2011-09-17	W	3-0	H v WBA
	2011-08-27	D	0-0	H v Sunderland
	2011-08-20	D	0-0	H v Wigan


MAN_UTD LAST SIX AWAY FORM
	DATE	RESULT		OPPOSITION
	2011-10-29	W	0-1	A v Everton
	2011-10-15	D	1-1	A v Liverpool
	2011-09-24	D	1-1	A v Stoke_City
	2011-09-10	W	0-5	A v Bolton
	2011-08-14	W	1-2	A v WBA
	2011-05-14	D	1-1	A v Blackburn