Hernandez makes farewell trip as Man United take on Chivas
Published:Javier Hernandez will return the ground where he honed his game, as Manchester United visit Mexico to take on Chivas Guadalajara in the final leg of their American tour.
After a 5-2 win over the MLS All Stars last time out, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are understandably 8/13 to come out of the game victorious.
However, Chivas (7/2 to win) will have a well-known weapon for one half of the match: Hernandez himself. The player nicknamed Chicharito is playing 45 minutes for both teams but Ferguson has a warning to the 22-year-old.
Asked what happens if his new player scores against United, the boss said: “He’ll be fined and transferred back!”
The man from Govan was more pleased with a Hernandez goal in the Red Devils’ previous game. Little Pea’s debut strike demonstrated why Ferguson had parted with £7million for him – a quick burst of pace followed by a cool finish.
“The one thing defenders worry about is players with speed, who get into the space behind them,” Ferguson said of the player who was revealed to be the fastest from the Premier League at the World Cup.
Hernandez, a 40/1 bet for the league’s Golden Boot, reached a top speed of 19.97mph and that fleet-footedness could help or hinder United to a 3-1 win (12/1) in the match which kicks off at 2.45am Saturday UK time.
On the other side of the globe, the Sydney Festival of Football reaches its illustrious climax, with two games featuring British participants.
AEK Athens v Rangers, kick-off 8.00am Saturday
AEK knocked Rangers out of the 1994 Champions League, with 2-0 and 2-1 wins in the two-legged affair. Those scores are possible – each is an 8/1 shot – but after a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers and a 0-0 draw with Sydney, a draw between these two is more likely. That’s a 9/4 chance.
Sydney v Blackburn, kick-off 10.15am Saturday
Sam Allardyce’s Roves team lost 2-1 to Rangers and then 2-1 to AEK Athens to make this trip to Australia a rather fruitless one so far.
But Sydney lost 5-3 to AEK in their first game in this tournament and with such defensive weaknesses an English win looks likely. That’s a 6/5 chance.
Blackburn Rovers are 14/1 to make an improbable surge into the top six in the Premier League.
