Fulham v Man Utd: Red Devils good for handicap win

Manchester United will rock up at Craven Cottage knowing that a win will give them a commanding 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League and, with Manchester City facing a tough game against Liverpool the following day, they’re not likely to miss this opportunity to open a truly daunting gap between themselves and their rivals.

Fulham’s 5/1 price for a home win indicates how unlikely they are to do City a favour and, with the 4-1 drubbing they received off United in the FA Cup last weekend fresh in their memories, value is detracted from the draw at 11/4 too.

The Red Devils are a steady-looking price to win the game at 4/7 though, with the Cottagers in relatively dire form – their win over West Ham last time representing just their second in 11 outings – United could prove excellent value on the handicap.

For those who think giving Fulham a one-goal head start won’t be enough to stop Sir Alex Ferguson’s men will be thrilled at the 11/8 Man United -1 pays out. Alternatively, you could crank it up a notch and back the same outcome, only with the visitors overcoming a two-goal handicap this time. It pays at more than double the price at 18/5 and the sheer goalscoring prowess United have in their locker makes it a feasible option.

They’ve notched 15 on their previous six road games and, although they would have only ensured that either of these bets landed in one of these matches, Fulham haven’t been playing like a team able to stem the United flow.

They’ve failed to keep a single clean sheet since mid-September, while the three goals they scored against the Hammers was the only time they managed to notch more than once in any of their previous six lots of 90 minutes.

What’s more encouraging for any backers of these bets is that, of their previous six meetings between these clubs, United have bagged 15 goals and conceded just three in response.

In other markets, Wayne Rooney’s four in four against this opposition make the Red Devils frontman a decent first goalscorer prospect at 4/1. Should Danny Welbeck bag first or last, Ladbrokes will refund all losing first goalscorer punts as a free bet and he’s a 5/1 shot to do either.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date