Betting Picks

Aston Villa hasn’t been very good to sportsbook players when they head to Old Trafford in Manchester, as they’ve dropped seven straight at the “Theater of Dreams”. This may be their best chance in years, though, as Manchester United are battling injuries at the back.

Aston Villa
This kicks off a busy time for Villa, who also face Arsenal and Liverpool during December. Villa’s defense is behind only Chelsea and United in terms of goals allowed, while they’re finally starting to find the net with 10 goals in their last four league matches. Stewart Downing is finally healthy again after a lengthy knee injury.

Man United
United’s sportsbook chances are in danger thanks to a slew of injuries to their defenders. Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Jonny Evans, John O’Shea and Wes Brown are all injured, while Edwin van der Sar is banged up, and Nemanja Vidic will hope that he’s recovered from a virus. United always have a chance in your sportsbook when Wayne Rooney is on the pitch, scoring four goals in his last two games, and Michael Owen had a hat trick in a 3-1 Champions League at Wolfsburg in midweek.

Sportsbook Odds and Preview
United are favored at home at -225, while Villa is listed at +575 and a draw comes in at +280. Given their problems at Old Trafford, where they haven’t won a league match since 1983, it’s easy to see why Villa is an underdog. However, they should be able to sneak a goal or two past United, who had Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher back in defense in Germany. Their defense is also good enough to prevent United from running wild.

Sports betting pick: Draw +280