Goalscorer Preview - Blackpool v Manchester United: Dimitar Berbatov

Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov is the man of the moment after nearly scoring a double hat-trick during the game against Blackburn Rovers.

Berbatov is a player that has thrived on confidence and belief throughout his career. His performance against Blackburn showed that he is getting into some great positions and that he knows how to put the ball into the back of the net when it really matters.

Berbatov did not play during the Carling Cup defeat against West Ham United, which means he should be fresh and ready to play. He will head the defence and Sir Alex Ferguson may choose to play Wayne Rooney as his partner in attack.

However, if United do go for a 4-5-1 formation then Berbatov is more than capable of carrying the attack of the team. He’s scored 11 goals in the Premier League so far this season and is a great bet at 9/2 to score first against Blackpool and 23/20 to score at any time during the game.

What makes Berbatov so difficult to play against is his strength and presence. He very rarely beats defenders for pace because he ambles around the football pitch. However, he drops the shoulder very well and can ghost into space, which is difficult to defend against.

Questions have been raised over Berbatov’s future at Manchester United during recent weeks. However, the manager has never said that he wants to part with the player and the Bulgarian looks very content to be the main man at the club right now.

Berbatov is a great player to back to score because he enjoys all of the attention being on him. He will also be aware that it may not last forever so he will be determined to pick on Blackpool in the same way he did against Blackburn.