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Solksjaer Making Man U a Value Bet for Top 4 EPL Finish; Odds Shorten on Aguero as Top Scorer

Ryan Metivier

by Ryan Metivier in Soccer News

Updated Apr 14, 2020 · 11:20 AM PDT

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has Man U thinking Top 4
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has yet to lose a match as manager of Manchester United at 9-1-0 in all competitions. Photo by Tor Atle Kleven (Wiki Commons).
  • Manchester United are the hottest team in the Premier League.
  • Are they the best bet for a Top 4 finish?
  • Can Manchester City’s Sergio Agüero win the scoring title? 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer quickly gained praise for turning Man U around after José Mourinho’s sacking. At 7-1-0 in the Premier League since his appointment, Man U are making a surge for the Top 4 and their 2019 English Premier League odds are continuing to improve.

The competition may not have been the toughest to start, but United has been able to continue winning. They’ve now defeated Tottenham on the road, with a 2-2 draw to Burnley being their only slip up.

Odds to Finish Top 4 in English Premier League

Team  EPL Top-4 Finish Odds(02/06/19)
Tottenham Hotspur -850
Chelsea -135
Manchester United +130
Arsenal +325

With 13 games to go, it’s getting harder to see one of the current top three of Liverpool, Man City, or Tottenham falling out of those positions. Which means that final Champions League spot in fourth place is shaping up to be the second-most intense race in the EPL.

For United, it’s beginning to look like the Norwegian Manchester legend is making a strong case to hold onto the manager role permanently. Especially if he lifts Man U into a Top 4 finish.

Man U’s real test will come later this month in the Champions League against PSG and during league play at home to Liverpool.

With Arsenal’s defense looking unable to stop anyone, Man U’s momentum could take them to that fourth place spot. However the odds are currently favoring Chelsea at -135.

2024 UEFA Champions League Odds Tracker
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The Blues have been suffering through much turmoil of late with Manager Maurizio Sarri coming under fire for this inability to connect with and get the most out of his players.

Prior to a 5-0 win over relegation-threatened Huddersfield, Chelsea had only won once over four matches. That included a home draw to Southampton and road losses to Arsenal (2-0) and Bournemouth (4-0).

Chelsea had only won once over four matches. That included a home draw to Southampton and road losses to Arsenal (2-0) and Bournemouth (4-0).

Simply unacceptable results for a club of their stature. The addition of new striker Gonzalo Higuaín during the January transfer window could be the key to Chelsea maintaining fourth though.

Higuaín has a history of success under Sarri and already scored twice against Huddersfield.

However, my best value bet for Top 4 has to go to United. Since his appointment, no Premier League team has more points, has scored more goals, has more shots or has conceded fewer goals than Solskjaer’s United.

Best Bet: Manchester United (+130)

The EPL scoring race has also seen some movement with the injured Harry Kane seeing his odds take a serious drop despite having 14 goals. Let’s examine the latest odds.

Odds to Win 2019 EPL Scoring Title

Team Odds to Win 2019 EPL Scoring Title (02/05/19)
Mohamed Salah +105
Sergio Aguero +275
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang +300
Harry Kane +1200
Eden Hazard +3300

Don’t look now but City striker Agüero is quickly gaining steam after a hat trick against Arsenal on Sunday. Prior to Sunday’s hat trick, Agüero was still priced around +600, but that has since been slashed down to +275.

Agüero now has two hat tricks on the year and six goals over his past six EPL matches. While he has plenty of competition for goals in the City lineup, as long as he’s healthy he’s still the unquestioned number one target up front.

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah may currently lead with 16 goals, but trailing right behind with 15 and 14 goals are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Agüero respectively. Given how close the the three are, either of those two offer a superior value bet. 

Arsenal travel to 20th place Huddersfield next, which could be an opportunity for Aubameyang to pad his stats.

Aubameyang has cooled off a bit of late though. He has only two goals in his past six matches and each came against a team currently in the relegation zone. That said, Arsenal travel to 20th place Huddersfield next, which could be an opportunity for Aubameyang to pad his stats.

However, long term I’m going to side with Agüero as the Premier League top scorer.

Best Bet: Sergio Agüero (+275)

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