Villarreal vs. Manchester United Predictions: Tie is a +255 option
Villarreal ruined a potential all-English Final in the European Club Tournaments when they defeated Arsenal in a semi-final of the Europa League a couple of weeks back. This may be frustrating for English fans but it makes for a much more interesting match-up.
The Spanish club have beaten RB Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv, Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal in the knockout stages on their way to the final. This hasn’t been the toughest road to Gdansk but they’ve been efficient.
Gerard Moreno is their star man. He’s scored more goals in La Liga than any player not named Lionel Messi with 23 in total. In addition he’s found the back of the net six times in the Europa League. If Villarreal are to pull off the upset then he’s likely going to have to score.
His chances may be improved by the injury situation in the Manchester United defense. Harry Maguire is not expected to start due to an ankle injury (although United have named him in their squad) and should he miss out then it really does harm Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men. The England defender has been their best defender by far so far this season so should he miss out, that is something to watch out for when looking to place your bets before the game. Team news will be key.
For United, a lot of the talk recently has been about 34 year-old striker Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan has been in a rich vein of form recently having netted nine times in his past ten games. He’s re-upped for another year at Old Trafford but on Wednesday afternoon he can lead them to lifting the trophy.
He’ll likely be marked by 35 year-old Raul Albiol in a battle of two extremely experienced players. Whoever wins that personal battle is likely to have a big say on who comes out victorious.
Manchester United have had a much tougher route to the final than their opposition. Real Sociedad, AC Milan, Granada and AS Roma was quite the run with the semi-final being a goal-fest - 9-4 on aggregate. This is why United are seen as the favorites but that Harry Maguire news could be big.
Picks:
Both Edinson Cavani (+155) and Gerard Moreno (+235) are odds against to score at any time. Both men are expected to lead the line for their respective teams so this seems like a good bit of value heading into the game. Both of those prices are with SugarHouse.
A 1-1 Full-Time score after 90 minutes is +550. The Tie at any score is +255. I just get the feel that this may be a game that goes to Extra Time so I like that number.
