Europa League Betting – United Need Miracle vs Reds

Liverpool (+175) at Manchester United (+160), Draw (+240)

The fate of Man United manager Louis Van Gaal could be sealed today. The end of a disastrous run might just come to an end if Manchester United don’t pull off a miracle and comeback from a 2-0 deficit in the second leg of their Round of 16 series with Liverpool. The Red Devils will at least have home-field advantage on their side when the squads square off at Old Trafford this afternoon (3:05 PM Eastern).

To say Manchester United has been disappointing under Van Gaal is an understatement. The team has failed to generate offense all year, were bounced in the Group Stage of the Champions League, and are sixth in the EPL (16 points back of first).

If United don’t advance in the Europa League, Van Gaal will likely be shown the door at the end of the year … at the latest.

Liverpool aren’t having a great EPL season, either, sitting eighth on 44 points. But they did what they needed to do at Anfield last week thanks to goals from Daniel Sturridge (20′, PK) and Roberto Firmino (73′). Expect Jürgen Klopp’s side to be disciplined and patient in the second leg, knowing that even a one-goal loss would send them through.

That’s a dream scenario for any team facing Man United. The Red Devils have averaged just 1.2 GPG in the Premier League, worst among the top-eight teams. Meanwhile, Liverpool have been finding the net with semi-regularity on the road, scoring 1.6 GPG away from Anfield.

We have seen miracles at Old Trafford in the past, but this team isn’t built to pull an epic comeback.

Pick: Draw (+240). 

(Photo credit: Austin Osuide [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)