United to build momentum against hopeless Baggies
This Saturday provides a bit of a no win situation for under pressure Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Red Devils host West Bromwich Albion, who, without a need for justification, are nowhere good enough to compete for survival in the Premier League. United are 14th after seven outings, simply not good enough for a club of their size, having failed to recapture the momentum that saw them secure third place on the final day of last season. Their Champions League fortunes have been slightly better, however their triumphs over 2019/20 semi finalists Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig were tainted by defeat away to Istanbul Basaksehir. They are overwhelming favourites.
Why so harsh on West Brom?
The Baggies staggered over the line to finish second in the Championship last term, if it was not for a stuttering Brentford then they would have slipped into the playoffs, to which at the time Slaven Bilic admitted he was preparing for. In eight outings so far this season, they have conceded the joint most, scored the third least and are ranked rock bottom in terms of expected goals for and expected goals against. Their manager is not up to the test and neither is half the first team, with the exception of injured forward Matheus Pereira and injury prone winger Grady Diangana, I would say that every other player in their ranks would be more suited to playing in the second tier. It is a pitiful attempt at building a squad for the topflight of English football, they will not win more than five games this campaign.
The Reds have not been great either
Solskjaer’s men are producing the numbers of a mid table side at the moment, some of this can be put down to their shorter summer break, exerting themselves in the Europa League while their rivals were resting and recuperating, the Harry Maguire fiasco would have been unsettling and the fans’ glaring cries for central defensive reinforcements were not answered once again. The hosts have more players than WBA returning from international duty for this fixture and might be rushing Marcus Rashford back from a minor injury, however in the rested Mason Greenwood and rotation players like Donny Van de Beek, they have the quality to dismantle the vulnerable Baggies backline.
There is no value in United to take all three points, they are very short, so use the Asian Handicap to increase the potential and you can find odds against for the hosts to win by two goals. If United can get going, that should be a realistic outcome.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
The Baggies stood firm and only lost by one goal, a controversial Bruno Fernandes penalty.