DESPERATE times for Man Utd as they travel to Shrewsbury in desperate need of a victory. Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) gives us his view.
Shrewsbury v Manchester United | Monday 19:45 | BT Sport 2
This season's FA Cup has been awful. Shocks as rare as a humble tweet from Kanye West, outdated cliché after outdated cliché and an unwillingness from the old guard to admit that the competition has gone stale.
Then we get this match. Oh boy, this is a Cup tie to savour. This is your archetypal FA Cup tie. A struggling Goliath up against a hopeful David facing off on a Gay Meadow. Mmmm!
The tragedy of this match is that it's on on a Monday night and relegated to BT Sport 2. For an avid viewer like me it means I have to go to the pub to watch it. This match should be live on BBC One.
Shrewsbury are in the FA Cup Fifth Round for the first time since 1991 but have relegation fears on their mind. They lie fourth bottom of the third tier after losing more than half their 31 league matches this season.
Micky Mellon's side have lost four of their last seven League One matches and are without a win at home in League One since October. Shocking stuff!
On top of this they've fired blanks in three of their last five home games in the league too and will host Rochdale a week on Tuesday aiming to avoid a fourth straight home league loss.
The cups have been a salvation for the Shrews this season. They knocked out Blackburn in the Capital One Cup and took Crystal Palace to extra time in the next game before going out.
In the FA Cup they hadn't even conceded a goal till the Fourth Round after squeezing past Gainsborough, Grimsby and Cardiff. In that Round 4 fixture they knocked out Sheffield Wednesday after two late goals put them through 3-2.
Last season they also had a tremendous run in the Capital One Cup knocking out Leicester, Norwich and Blackpool before going down 2-1 to eventual winners Chelsea in what was a very creditable display. They clearly love these kind of fixtures.
Their opponents Manchester United are a total car crash at the moment. Why? How long you got?! Three defeats in their last six. In the last week and a bit they've lost to a side second bottom of the Premier League and to a team from Denmark that no one can pronounce right. It really is as bad as it gets in this post-Fergie meltdown.
Even looking at results involving lower league sides and Manchester United you can't build a strong case for the Red Devils. They were knocked out on penalties by Championship side Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup, needed a last minute spot kick to eliminate League One side Sheffield United in the FA Cup and only clicked into gear late against second tier Derby in the previous round.
On top of all that fuck-uppery Louis Van Gaal's side are without Wayne Rooney and David De Gea for this match. On their day probably the two most important players at the club.
It makes quotes of 4/11 on the Old Trafford side absolutely horrid and I won't be touching them. We're all aware of this side's sloppy starting style aren't we?
United have been ahead at half-time in just seven of their 26 league games this season and their tally of 14 pre-break goals is fewer than Bournemouth.
Even in the Cups they were level at half-time against Sheffield United, Derby and Middlesbrough so allow me to feast on the 100/30 on Draw/Man Utd Double Result (or Half-Time/Full-Time as I prefer). The Shrews look a big price but +1.25 at 42/41 just isn't enticing enough.
Best Bets
Shrewsbury v Manchester United – Draw/Man Utd (100/30 BetVictor)
Want A Free Bet And £10 Cash?
Are you yet to sign-up for a betting account at Ladbrokes, Bet365 or Coral? If so, now is your time as we’ve a bucket load of free bets to giveaway to new customers.
Sign-up to Ladbrokes, Bet365 or Coral via any of the links on this page, deposit and place your first bet and drop us a line at hello@welovebetting.co.uk. We’ll then arrange for a free bet to be dropped into your brand new account and we’ll also cover your first bet with instant cash up to £10.
Remember folks, if you ever want to join a new bookmaker give us a shout – no other site will give you extra bonuses such as free bets and instant cash like WLB!
How To Claim Your Free Bet And Instant Cash:
- Register for a new account at Ladbrokes, Bet365 or Coral via any of the links on this page. If you don’t use a link from WLB, you won’t be valid.
- Deposit and place your first bet (up to £10).
- Email hello@welovebetting.co.uk to let us know your account username and the bookmaker you’ve joined.
- We’ll arrange for a £10 free bet to be dropped into your new account as well as £10 instant cash to cover your first bet.
- Remember, you’ll also be entitled to the new customer bonus or promotion with each of Ladbrokes, Bet365 or Coral. However, if you don’t join via the links on this page, you won’t be valid for our free bet and instant cash giveaway.
- Any questions? Just drop us an email or tweet us at @WeLoveBettingUK.
