Manchester United v RB Leipzig Tips: Trust in Telles in the assist market
Fresh from their win in Paris last week, Manchester United take on Red Bull Leipzig at Old Trafford on Wednesday as the Champions League rolls onto the second round of fixtures. At this early stage of the season Leipzig currently sit top of the Bundesliga and are unbeaten in all competitions.
The winner of this clash has the chance to go three points clear at the top of group H, which could be crucial with PSG also being in this highly competitive group. I’ve picked out three football tips for the game which kicks off at 8pm Wednesday and is live on BT Sport 2.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to return to the 3-4-1-2 formation that he deployed against PSG last week after a dull 0-0 stalemate with Chelsea on Saturday. Axel Tuanzebe and Alex Telles and Anthony Martial are expected to come back into the side with Edinson Cavani starting from the bench.
Julian Nagelsmann has several players missing from his squad for the clash, including Lukas Klostermann, Konrad Laimer and Nordi Mukele. Dani Olmo and Yussuf Poulson will come back into the starting line-up after being rested at the weekend.
The bookmakers have installed the hosts as the 5/4 favourites to come away with the three points on Wednesday. The draw is available to be backed at 5/2, with a win for RB Leipzig being offered at 9/4 - an implied 31% chance of victory.
Angelino 1+ shot on target - 1.5pts @ 23/10 Betfair, Paddy Power
Alex Telles assist anytime - 1pt @ 9/2 Betfair, Paddy Power
Rashford & Poulson 1+ shot on target, Maguire & Upamecano to be carded, 0.25pts @ 33/1 Paddy Power
The first of three selections on Wednesday, is Manchester City loanee, Angelino to have one or more shots on target for Red Bull Leipzig. This is priced at 23/10 with both Betfair and Paddy Power which on first glance looks a bit of a steal. The attacking full-back has been excellent going forward at the start of this campaign and has already bettered his shots on target total for Leipzig last season.
Having a look at the data for the 23-year-old, we can see that he registered five shots on target in 18 appearances last season. After just eight games of this new campaign, Angelino has registered seven shots on target so it’s clear to see the rise in attacking intent.
Angelino has even been used as a left winger this season rather than his usual position of left wing-back. Wherever he lines up I’d be pretty confident in this selection with it landing in all four of his most recent games and in five of his last seven this season.
Next up I’m fancying Alex Telles of Manchester United to make an assist during the game, priced at 9/2 with Paddy Power. I put up this selection for Manchester United’s game on Saturday and was rather disappointed to see the Brazilian not start the game after a positive debut against PSG in the Champions League. Telles’s crossing ability was clear to see in Paris and his stats in the final third for Porto are more than impressive.
Since the start of the 2017/18 season in Primera Liga and Champions League the Brazilian has scored 22 goals and has contributed 36 assists! The majority of those goals came from the penalty spot but it’s clear to see that the 27-year-old is creative in the final third of the field and loves to be at the centre of things. In the opening three games for Porto this season, Telles registered two assists and with him also on corner duty for Manchester United I’ve decided to take the 9/2 from Paddy Power which gives plenty of appeal when you consider the same selection is 3/1 with SkyBet.
For the optimists out there I’ve picked out a longshot priced at 33/1 for the game. It’s made up of Marcus Rashford And Yussuf Poulsen to have one or more shots on target, with both Harry Maguire and Dayot Upamecano to be carded.
Marcus Rashford is blazing a trail on and off the pitch for Manchester United at the moment. When it comes to shots on target, nobody has registered more for The Red Devils this season than Rashford who is averaging 1.4 on target per game.
Yussuf Poulsen looks likely to be the lone striker for Red Bull Leipzig at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The Dane has three goals to his name already this term and is averaging 1.5 shots on target per game. Poulson should be the biggest threat in front of goal for RB.
Onto the bookings for the game and for United I’ve picked out Harry Maguire. The centre-half seems to have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the last few months, but I’m fancying him to be carded on Wednesday. Maguire picked up six Premier League cards last season and has already seen one yellow and one red for club and country so far this campaign.
For Leipzig I’ve also opted for a centre-half in Dayot Upamecano to be carded. United will be keeping a close eye on the Frenchman with The Reds reportedly very keen on trying to bring him to Manchester in the future. In terms of yellow cards, Upamecano has been booked in his last three games and four times in just nine matches for club country this season.
Best of luck to anyone following the selections on Wednesday evening. Let’s hope for an entertaining watch, please gamble responsibly.
