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Manchester United travel to Aldershot this evening hoping to avoid a second embarrassing defeat in the space of a few days.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were hammered 6-1 by their local rivals at the weekend, a result which sent shock-waves through Old Trafford.
They will be pleased to have another game so soon though. They will also be determined to avoid another shock defeat, instead aiming to get the job done with as little fuss as possible.
Aldershot meanwhile – who are the only team beyond the top two divisions left in the Carling Cup – will be excited about hosting the Premier League Champions.
The hosts will want to make sure they put on a decent showing too. Even if they end up failing to make the fifth round, they will want to give United a game.
The likeliness of this happening has been boosted by the team news. They have no further injury worries and could name the same side that won 5-2 at Dagenham and Redbridge at the weekend.
This result was a welcome boost for the League Two side after they had suffered five defeats in succession across all competitions.
Whether it is enough to help them prepare for a victory against Manchester United remains to be seen of course, but it was a welcome victory.
As for the visitors, they are likely to rest a number of key players for this one, but will still field a strong side.
The likes of Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick are all likely to start, making Aldershot’s task of keeping their opponents out very difficult indeed.
Looking at a little bit of history between these two teams, this is only the second ever meeting. The only other time they have come head to head was a 3-1 victory for United back in the 1970 League Cup.
They will of course be favourites to record a similar scoreline this evening as the action gets underway at 7.45pm this evening.
Match odds
As expected, Manchester United are favourites to record a comfortable victory. They are 1.22 (2/9) for victory, while Aldershot are a massive 15.00 (14/1) with VC Bet.
For the score to be level after 90 minutes, you can get odds of 6/1 (5.00) with BoyleSports.
Correct score
With not much value going for a United victory, it is perhaps to have a look at the correct score market. For a 3-0 away win you can get odds of 7.00 (6/1), while a 5-0 victory for Ferguson’s men is 26.00 (25/1) with 888Sport.
Then, for a repeat of the only other time these two teams met, you can back 3-1 to Manchester United at 11.00 (10/1) with Ladbrokes.
First goalscorer
Looking at who might grab the first goal is another excellent market for this game as it could come from anywhere.
The favourite is Danny Welbeck at 4.00 (3/1), while his expected strike partner for the evening, Michael Owen is 6.00 (5/1) – both with SkyBet.
The most likely Aldershot player to put them into a shock lead is Danny Hylton who can be backed at 15.00 (14/1) with Paddy Power.
Recommended bets
Manchester United to win 3-1 @ 11.00 (10/1)
Michael Owen to score first @ 6.00 (5/1)
