News

Manchester’s cup of cheer for City’s Tevez



SPORTS BETTING with BettingBanter: Manchester City meet Manchester United at Eastlands tomorrow night in the first leg of their eagerly awaited League Cup semi-final. After tipping a 11-8 winner last week, former United striker-turned-TalkSport-pundit ALAN BRAZIL makes a pick which may turn half the city blue

After we predicted an Aston Villa win and singled out goalscorer James Milner as the man to watch in last week’s League Cup semi-final first leg, we have it all to do this week to match that.

As is always the case with matches between these bitter Manchester rivals, normal form goes straight out of the window, and it may even be a case of who ends up with the most men on the pitch. Things are now different to the past, with the Blue side of Manchester now the ones with the cash to splash, while the Red side in a £500 million bond spot of bother financially, but that will not affect this match or the return leg, with a Wembley appearance up for grabs for the winners.

To me, in games like this home advantage is less relevant, and I see this as a match between the desire to win felt by the United players, and the cooler, less headstrong attitude perhaps of the boys in blue, many of whom will have precious little idea of how important the bragging rights are in Manchester after a game like this.

Neither team played particularly well on Saturday, though United did at least manage to win in the end at home against travel-sick Burnley, while at Everton, City suffered their first defeat under Roberto Mancini.

United may yet field a weakened side, with one eye on the Premier League title, and I can see tomorrow night’s game decided by the referee, with at least one sending off (Rooney or Tevez anybody?) in a tightly fought battle, with the home team shading the balance of play with perhaps a 1-0 win, and Carlos Tevez to score the goal against his old club.

Recommended Bet: Manchester City to win, 11-8 with SJA sponsors Skybet.

This preview provided by www.bettingbanter.com, where SJA members can obtain a free subscription to the celebrity tipsters’ email service.


Click here for more recent articles on journalism, sport and sports journalism


Your SJA subscription was due from JANUARY 1 – click here for details of how to make your payment