Monday Monday

Yesterday was a mixed day for the blog, with success for the previews but and almost complete failure for the tips.  Hopefully this will be my first and only blip due to the harder nature of judging cup matches and the lack of value in most goals markets.  Monday brings the last in this weekends fixture list and then I can turn my attention firmly back to the premier league an area where I have enjoyed most of my success this season.

MANCHESTER UNITED v READING

Reading face the daunting task of travelling to Old Trafford in the final cup match of the weekend, the hosts are now firmly chasing another treble after gaining an impressive result in midweek at the Santiago Bernabéu.  Since that result the Alex Ferguson mind games have begun with his own squad, he has started constantly dripping into the media how he believes this is a better and stronger squad than in 1999.  With this bandwagon now firmly rolling the size of the task facing a recently impressive Reading is growing by the minute.  Manchester United have not lost in their last fifteen matches and won an impressive eleven of these matches.  Looking at their home form they have won nine of their last ten at Old Trafford and eight of this ten have seen two or more goals scored.  One slight positive for Reading is that United have only kept clean sheets in less than half of these ten matches.  Looking at the visitors, last weeks defeat away to Stoke was their first defeat in their last seven matches.  This has been a dramatic improvement on their early season form and is no small part down to the managements decision to play a more compact less open style of play.  A style that they were successful with in the championship was caught out badly in the early season and left their defence with very little protection.  Sadly their away form is still very weak and a real cause for concern.  They have lost eight of their last ten away in the premier league, but sixty percent of these defeats have only been by a one goal margin.  This shows that if minor adjustments can be made at least in the league they could hopefully gain some vital points on the season run in.  Looking at the teams statistics Manchester United have averaged over two and half goals per game whilst Reading have scored less than one goal per away match.  Overall I cannot see beyond a comfortable home win and a couple of goals to see United into the next round of the cup.

Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone !!!