Manchester United to run riot against Boro

After scoring four times in each of their last three games there is little to suspect Manchester United won't pile on more misery for Middlesbrough with another Premier League goal binge on Saturday.

United are beginning to look ominous. The three points scraped from their opening four Premier League matches have been banished by a ten-match winning streak (ignoring the Carling Cup defeat against Coventry) which has propelled them to second place in the Premier League table.

Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are back to their best, scoring three and four goals respectively over the course of emphatic Premier League wins against Wigan, Aston Villa and Dynamo Kiev and even Rio Ferdinand has helped himself to two goals in as many games.

Of course United are not the same side without the injured Paul Scholes but the fact that Middlesbrough have lost to Tottenham in their six-match winless run is a testament to just how far they have fallen. The hosts are 4/5 to score in either half with Paddy Power and 11/4 to score four or more goals. Help yourselves; Rooney and Ronaldo will.

Elsewhere, Portsmouth can expect to keep the home fires burning against West Ham. Pompey have won five on the spin in the Premier League and Harry Redknapp will be confident of putting one over on his former employers, whose win against Sunderland last weekend was as fortuitous as their three defeats in four games is worrisome for their supporters.

On Sunday Everton, Blackburn and Arsenal are all away from home but each have genuine prospects of filling their boots at Derby, Tottenham and Liverpool. The Blues are a different side with Tim Cahill on board as they showed with the 3-1 defeat of Larissa on Thursday, managerless Spurs are simply all at sea while freescoring Arsenal will have no fear of the side they rattled nine goals past in three days last January.

Rafa Benitez's side did avenge their cup defeats with a 4-1 Premier league win against the Gunners last term but the Reds were lucky to beat Everton last Saturday and deserved losers at Besiktas in midweek, while Arsenal have won 14 matches out of 15. You do the math.

Verdict: 2pts Man Utd to score in either half @ 4/5 (Paddy Power); 2pts Man Utd to score four or more goals @ 11/4 (Paddy Power); 2pts fourfold on Portsmouth, Everton, Blackburn and Arsenal @ 34.5/1 (Betfred)