Jose Mourinho has already made it quite clear that he couldn't care less if Manchester United played in the Europa League or not. He's playing with a watered down lineup on Thursday in the secondary European tournament and leaving his best side for his Sunday EPL tie against Watford. If nothing else, that's bad news for the Hornets.
At 7 a.m. ET, tune into CNBC for live television coverage of this EPL match on Sunday, September 18, 2016, at Vicarage Road.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Watford +540
Manchester United -185
Draw +325
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
It's so hard to bet on these games that look like squash matches on one glance but could turn out to be quite interesting because the better of the two teams is playing on the road. The Red Devils certainly outclass Watford in every sense of the word, but Vicarage Road has been the setting for a number of upsets over the course of the last year and could be again in this one. That margin of -185 in favor of Man U is certainly tempting for bettors, but remember that playing on the road in the EPL is much different than playing at home.
The total chimes in at a flat 2.5.
Key Injuries
The key man to watch here for Manchester United is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He won't play against Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday, but he might be back in time for Sunday's soiree. The same can be said for Luke Shaw, though it's unknown if he would be picked for the Starting XI even if he was ready to go. We already know that Phil Jones is out and won't be back until at least the beginning of October.
Bruce Dja Djedje is out for at least another couple weeks for Watford, while a hamstring injury to Stefano Okaka has him rated as a question mark at this point for this weekend.
Recent Form
So far, so good for the Red Devils. They won't like the fact that they were beaten by Man City at home last weekend, but in totality, nine points in four matches is a good clip for it to be on.
Watford has four points from its two matches, and the common thread has been high-scoring games. The Hornets already have seven strikes this year against eight allowed, and have three straight over matches. The biggest game of the bunch was the most recent 4-2 win over West Ham. The Hammers were up 2-0 at home and seemed to be coasting to three points until the dam broke and Watford scored four times in a matter of 22 minutes with four different scorers.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Very interesting, this is. Watford has to be flying high after its win over West Ham last weekend, and the form that Troy Deeny and Odion Ighalo are in up front is quite good. Both men scored against the Hammers, and we would fancy at least one of them getting on the scoring sheet more games than not this year.
Still, Manchester United really shouldn't slip here. Mourinho has his priorities in the right place, and he's not going to let this midweek fixture in the Europa League get in his way. Perhaps he'll sing a different tune in February should the Red Devils still be playing in the Europa League, but for now, that's a tournament for a second-team to be playing while the starters don't exert any unnecessary energy.
Winning here in the Premier League is the key, and Mourinho knows just that. The path to a return to the UCL is by finishing at least fourth this year, and winning matches like this one are a must. Even if Wayne Rooney has fallen out of favor, there are still too many other attacking options to keep the Red Devils off the board in this one. They'll have a party in the Watford last third for this entire match and waltz to three big road points to get back on track.
EPL Odds: Manchester United 3, Watford 1
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
