Lille Trouble for United

French side Lille face an uphill task at Old Trafford on Wednesday as they bid to overturn a one-goal deficit against Manchester United, who won the first leg in Lens courtesy of a bit of genuine and quick-thinking on the part of the evergreen Ryan Giggs. Giggs' rapidly-taken free kick caught Lille napping and their players were up in arms in the aftermath of the Welshman's strike. Claude Puel's men felt hard done by, but they ended up disgracing themselves with the intensity of their prolonged protests. These protests will only serve as a motivational vehicle for the Red Devils in this crucial second leg encounter, as they will set out to put Lille in their place, proving that they certainly don't need a controversial goal to master the Ligue 1 side. Sir Alex Ferguson's charges are generally 1/3 in the match result market and this is probably a fair reflection of their superiority. Plus Lille have one heck of a stat to overcome - it is 11 years since a club last overturned a first-leg home defeat to win a Champions League knockout tie. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Louis Saha are both injured, so it's likely that Wayne Rooney and Henrik Larsson will start up front, while Darren Fletcher has also been ruled out. Incredibly, Rooney has not scored a Champions League goal since his debut-day hat-trick against Fenerbahce in September 2004, so the 21-year-old will be keen to break this hoodoo. However, regardless of whether the 'boy wonder' fires or not, United should put on a show at the Theatre Of Dreams, and it's inconceivable that this match will result in anything but a cosy win for the Premiership leaders in my opinion. United have lost just one of their last 27 home games in this competition, another factor which gives rise to the enormity of the task facing Lille. The way to go for punters is to split stakes on United to win 3-0 and 4-0 at 17/2 (Portland Bet) and 16/1 (Blue Square) respectively in the correct score market. I reckon that the home side will be quick off the blocks and seek to put the game to bed pretty early. As such, I'm also tempted by Paddy Powers offer of 7/2 about Man Utd -1 in the 1st half handicap market. Fill your boots! Verdict - United to win 3-0 - 17/2 (Portland Bet) United to win 4-0 - 16/1 (Blue Square) Man Utd -1 in the 1st half handicap market - 7/2 (Paddy Powers )