After finishing off the podium for the first time in Premier League history last season, Manchester United are on course to bounce back with UEFA Champions League qualification in 2014-15.
Louis van Gaal’s side moved up to fourth place heading into the international break with a 2-1 win at home to Everton – this was the first time the Dutch manager has experienced back-to-back victories since taking charge over the summer.
Manchester United have achieved this despite suffering a large number of injuries and a couple of suspensions early in the season.
The bookmakers currently have the Red Devils as odds-on to finish in the top four this season. Although their odds aren’t as short as Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal, they are with good merit.
A tough test is on the cards for van Gaal’s side over the next few matches however – facing Chelsea (home), Manchester City (away) and Arsenal (away) in three of their next five matches. Reading through the betting guides on SportsBettingAcumen.com it may be worthwhile to hold back on your bet for now to see if greater odds are available after these games.
Liverpool are currently the fifth favourites and could see the odds move in their favour in the next few weeks with a much favourable set of fixtures than their Manchester rivals. United, however, should not be ruled out of getting results from the top teams from now on.
Ángel Di María, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao makes this a fearful side. They even have Juan Mata in reserve to call upon! Defence has been the main concern for United this season. Injuries haven’t helped but they have kept the opponents’ goals down to one in each of their last two games.
With the attacking options available it hasn’t been a problem to pick up three points when conceding one goal of late. And whilst they will find tougher tests against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City – beating the other teams in the league will be of most importance if they are to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
There are another 12 games to be played before the January transfer window opens – the next opportunity van Gaal will have to bring in new defenders. By then we will be halfway through the season and a fixture against Stoke City on New Year’s Day will most likely happen without any debutants.
United continue to be linked to centre-backs and central midfielders since the summer transfer window closed.
Few teams can match the talent that is on Manchester United’s books and now that they’re adapting to the manager’s tactics they are amongst the top four teams in the league. All-in-all, the future looks very bright for Manchester United and we’re confident Louis van Gaal will deliver a top four finishing side this season.
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