DUTCH champions PSV face Manchester United in their opening Champions League match. Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) looks at the odds.
PSV v Manchester United | Tuesday 19:45 | BT Sport 2
Sub-plots eh? There's loads of them in this match. Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal is back in his native country and the nation he managed twice to take on their champions.
Memphis Depay is back at the club that made him such a special talent. So special that Manchester United forked out £25 million for his services earlier in the summer. Wonder if he gets a warm reception?
And finally (just like the man formerly in his current role experienced on many occasions) Van Gaal is up against one of the players he managed in previous times. Phillip Cocu was under the tutelage of LVG at Barcelona and for the national team, now as PSV manager he looks to bring his old boss down.
Onto the actual game then and I'm just not feeling Manchester United this season. At various points they've been pedestrian, lumpen, dull, conservative and a massive turn off. The first half against Liverpool could be filed alongside the Newcastle game (0-0), the Villa match (1-0) and opening day win over Tottenham (1-0) for sheer unadulterated crud.
Yes, things perked up in the second half on Saturday, but they had to! Opponents Liverpool looked in a sorry state and I'm not willing to proclaim Van Gaal's side as a force to be reckoned with just yet.
PSV have started the season unbeaten in their five league matches and look to be coming to the boil nicely. A 6-0 away win over Cambuur on Saturday was the confidence booster going into this game they would have craved.
Manchester United go into this game as 5/4 favourites but that's too short for me. PSV were fairly average in the Europa League last season (second in their group, knocked out in the last 32) but the stakes are a lot higher here.
It's actually hard to feel confidence about either side as while Man Utd were woeful domestically during the reign of David Moyes they did perform very well in the Champions League group stages.
I'll plump for a couple of Correct Scores here. A 1-1 draw at 13/2 with BetVictor appeals as does a 2-1 win for the visitors at 9/1 with the same firm. Not a night for large stakes, a night for assessment on where these two sides stand.
Best Bets
PSV v Manchester United – 1-1 Draw (13/2 BetVictor)
PSV v Manchester United – Manchester United to win 2-1 (9/1 BetVictor)
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