Liverpool vs Manchester United Betting Analysis

Manchester United, currently seven points ahead of Liverpool, look poised to extend that advantage when the two teams clash at Anfield on Saturday and rate a decent bet for the away win at 7-4 (Vcbet)Surprisingly, many bookies' lists have Rafael Benitez's team down as favourites despite United's solid record at Anfield, where they have won five of the last eight renewals of this fixture, including the last two meetings.Even if Fernando Morientes's transfer is completed in time, Liverpool's attack looks to be lacking firepower with Cisse out and Milan Baros only just returning from a a hamstring injury and may not be at peak fitness.Should Morientes make the cut, he won't have had much time acclimatise to his new surroundings and, pitched against Man Utd on his Premiership debut, will be thrown in at the deepest end possible.Sure, Neil Mellor has proven his worth and Pongolle always poses a threat, but when you look at the likes of Alan Smith, Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney of United, you see that their goal-scoring capacity is somewhat limited by comparison.Even with Ruud van Nistelrooy out through injury, the aforementioned trio are all natural finishers, who have the ability to drop deep into midfield and swiftly move through the gears into attacking positions, while Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are a handful for any defence.Liverpool's midfield line measures up pretty well pound for pound. Steven Gerrard is talismanic for the reds and his vision and work rate mark him out as one of the Premiership's finest - and Luis Garcia has established himself as a player of distinction.However, the Merseysiders reliance on the midfielders to provide the end product - goals - means that they are even more vulnerable to counter-attacks. While their pushing up, a significant void is left in front of the defence, which a team rich in pace can exploit, such as Man Utd.The main source of United's counter-attacking prowess is through the wingers, Ryan Giggs and Christian Ronaldo. Giggs' return from a minor injury means that United will benefit from his blistering pace and incisive runs, while Ronaldo is also blessed with speed and is equally hard to contain when surging forward.Meanwhile, Scholes has rediscovered the taste for hitting the back of the net after going through a lean spell, and he may well be worth a look in the first goal-scorer market, where he can be backed at 10/1 to score first. We shall though be sticking with the visitors to come away with maximum points.See all our free bets on this match.