Round 36 - Manchester Derby Title Race
By Joe, bettingexpert.com | Published
Google+: Joe Bexpert
One of the most important derby in Manchester for decades, both United and City could have a say in where the Premiership will be going and Monday will see some kind of answer. For the Champions League spots, both Tottenham and Newcastle will have to fight it out with relegation strugglers, Wigan and Blackburn for the three points.
Wigan vs. Newcastle
One fighting for survival and the other one fight for new adventure next season in Europe, both teams have different agenda to meet but it is Wigan who will have a lot more to lose at the end of the day. The home side have one advantage, they are currently above the relegation zone and their fate is really in their hands. Manager Martinez have to get back to basics after a good run coming down to a halt at Craven Cottage last weekend. His side suffered another setback in London conceding in the dying minutes of the game, two weeks ago, it was Chelsea but last weekend a 2-1 defeat was given by Fulham. Poor marking and lack of concentration are areas that Wigan needs to work on and if they want to avoid relegation, then winning their home games is a must.
The amazing season for the Geordies continues and their striker, Papiss Cisse continues to score week in and week out. They find themselves with four games to go that they are in a serious position to qualify for next season’s champions league. They need to pick pace with Arsenal at the top, avoid Spurs and Chelsea to overtake their fourth spot. Wigan will be the first, then followed with Chelsea away, City at home and Everton away, tough fixtures and Wigan seems to be the easier of them all at this rate. Manger Alan Pardew have had success to strengthen his team but it is really the defensive bit that has given stability throughout the team. They haven’t conceded in four games and at the same time, both Ben Arfa and Cabaye have been flourish in the midfield. This stability will be tested at it’s fullest in the coming weeks.
Verdict:
Wigan are fighting for their lives and they are playing some good football of the late. Their home performances are showing some good signs that they are a tough team to beat however they are amongst a team that is in form. Both teams needs the point and a Cisse to score and Wigan to get a point are the obvious end points. A draw between the two teams.
Tottenham vs. Blackburn
There is a saying, it’s not how you start but it is how you end it. Well, the fans at White Hart Lane must have thought they were flying at the beginning of the season but fast forward 8 months later, Spurs have dropped behind their neighbours, Arsenal, at the top half of the league and trying to defend their fourth position. They start out as title contender but failed to gather the points to challenge and slowly inconsistency creped in. The slow decline of Harry Redknapp’s men was a bit of everything, the form, injuries, rumours and more to that their defense have leaked goals. They didn’t seem to recover from the 5-1 defeat in the FA Cup as it was followed with a 1-0 defeat in a poor performance away to QPR, nevermind mentioning that they also lost 2-1 at home to Norwich prior to the FA Cup semi-final. So what next, this time it is relegation strugglers, Blackburn, visiting White Hart Lane and if Spurs wants top European football next season, then this is a fixture they have to win at all cost.
Blackburn are inches away from being relegated. They are second bottom and three points away from their rivals Wigan and QPR who are above the relegation line, not to mention Bolton is also in the mix but with one game less in their account, funny enough it is against Tottenham. The fans have been calling for manager Sean Kean’s head but they ought to know that they need to pull together in order to get out of this mess. That was exactly what happened last weekend as Blackburn beat Norwich City 2-0, Hoilett and Formica getting the goals, but even though the season hasn’t gone well, Kean’s head was on the chopping board as songs rung around the stadium. This can’t happen on Sunday, it is likely that home fans will be giving some stick but if Blackburn supporters are to turn against his manager and team, then relegation could become reality even before the last day of play. Blackburn needs to pull together or it could be the end of the line this weekend.
Verdict:
A draw won’t help either of the team to get what they want, but a point is better than none if one must take either of the two. If Spurs aren’t going to get their game going and start winning games, then they could end this season without any reward, so this game should show their intend. Blackburn will want to get anything they can and draw might just rise some eyebrows.
Manchester City vs. Manchester United
Monday evening on the 30th of April could give us a little bit of insight of where the Premiership title will be heading. The obvious answer is Manchester but will it be the blue half or the red half. In the recent weeks, Manager Robert Mancini has ruled out his side out of contention for the title but with only three games left, Manchester City are only three points from their rivals, United at the top. If they still believe that they have what it takes to lift that trophy then home at the Etihad Stadium. A win in the Manchester derby will give them the edge of not just beating their biggest rivals, but also taking back the top spot with a better goal difference. That goal difference might just be that 6-1 win at Old Trafford earlier on this season. Mancini has plenty of options ont he day and plenty of harmony in his squad. Former United player, Carlos Tevez will be spearheading the team with fellow countrymen, Sergio Aguero, which both have come up with 6 goals between them in the last two games. Both players are supported by Nasri, Silva and Yaya Toure, that should be enough to compete with the United midfield.
Sir Alex Ferguson calls this the biggest derby ever and maybe also the most important in recent times. His side have shown a bit of consistency issue of the late, a defeat to Wigan away then saw a bounce back 4-0 win over Aston Villa, but then last weekend experienced a 4-2 lead go into some disastrous in the last ten minutes of the game and drew 4-4 against Everton. They missed their chance in going into the derby with the five point gap but saw City pegged their way back into title contentions and the title is really up for Unite to lose. There are a few positive that gives United the edge over their rivals, Wayne Rooney have had a massive boost in front of goal, hitting two against Villa and getting another two against his former club, Everton, his teammate striker, Welbeck is also started to get some goals on his account too and not to forget that Nani is also showing some signs of good play. There needs to be something special coming from this team and when called upon, Ferguson knows how he can get the best out of his eleven and also his bench.
Verdict:
This is it, the Manchester derby is the place to be if you want to find out who will win the title. Manchester United have the upper hand of needing only a point to keep their fate in their own hands while City needs a win to put their fate in their own hands. In this high stake match up, a draw could be the result of hyped up title decider but if City will throw everything they have and with that in mind, United will be pressured and former United player, Tevez will be haunting his old employees.
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