The fact that Swansea United is still playing in the Premier League this season has to excite fans at Liberty Stadium. The Swans will once again be threatened by relegation this term, and this match against Manchester United doesn't really figure to help out that cause any.
At 7:30 a.m. ET, tune into NBC Sports Network for live television coverage of this BPL match on Saturday, August 19, 2017, at Liberty Stadium.
Opening Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Swansea United +800
Manchester United -285
Draw +375
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
It's going to be an uphill battle for sure for the Swans in this match. They did win eight matches at home last term and can't totally be counted out, but a price of 8 to 1 tells you all you need to know, especially since Gylfi Sigurdsson is all set to be moved to Everton, costing them their best player.
Manchester United is -285 on the moneyline and should be a safe bet to snare its second triumph of the campaign.
The total of 2.5 almost feels like it's telling a tale of what the Red Devils should score in this match. Clearly, 2-0 and 3-0 are the most likely score lines.
Key Injuries
The Red Devils will be at full health at some point this season, you'd like to think. Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo are all out with various injuries, and none of the three are going to be in the lineup any time in the near future. That said, if the team's opening match against West Ham is any indication, no one is missing this trio.
The same can't be said for the Swans. Nathan Dyer's season has yet to begin as he continues to rehab from his Achilles injury in February. Ki Sung-Yueng injured his knee in May and seems to be nowhere near returning to the fold, while Fernando Llorente has been ruled out for this one and won't be in consideration to return until August 26 against Crystal Palace.
Recent Form
Swansea's season started off on the right foot by taking a point on the road at Southampton. Those are the types of results that the team flat out has to hold onto this year if it wants to stay up. However, without Sigurdsson, it's going to be a long, uphill battle to replicate those draws.
Manchester United was at the top of its form against West Ham last weekend. The Red Devils looked like the class of the Premier League with a 4-0 victory that was capped with a brace by Romelu Lukaku and late shows by Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba. It was a comprehensive result for a team that badly needed to show that it could contend for the title right from the outset of the season. Lukaku's brace to kick off that match was remarkable, silencing the critics who said that he would never work in the Manchester United system.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This Manchester United team looked darn good in the opener against West Ham, and it's hard to bet against it in this one.
For the time being, though, Jose Mourinho couldn't have asked for much more than this. His team is starting off with two of the easier fixtures it'll have this year, and there's no reason to think that it'll come up short in this one. It might not be that easy going to Swansea and coming away with three points, but championship teams pick up championship results against teams that should be in… Championship!
BPL Odds: Manchester United 2, Swansea United 0
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