Manchester United vs Chelsea Betting Preview

Manchester United take on Chelsea in the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final this evening for the right to play Liverpool in the final. The first leg between the top two in the Premiership finished goalless. The bookies are having trouble splitting the two giants in the match betting, yet when it comes to who will qualify - it is Man Utd who are made the outsiders. As mentioned in the preview for the first leg, in 19 individual semi-final matches in domestic competition with Man Utd, Sir Alex Ferguson has yet to finish a loser. This fact alone helped us swerve any investment in Chelsea for the first leg. Never losing at this stage of the competition is surely a big hint in which manager is most likely to play their best team possible tonight.Although Chelsea have no fresh injury concerns, it is expected that Jose Mourinho will make a few changes to his team. Eidur Gudjohnsen may start in preference to Didier Drogba, while Carlo Cudicini is expected to return in place of Petr Cech.There is even talk of a possible recall for Robert Huth to the squad after several weeks out injured. If there is space in the starting line-up for the German centre-back, it should only enhance the prospects of the home side winning through. For Manchester United, Alan Smith is poised for a recall after recovering from the ankle injury he picked up in the first leg of the semi-final at Chelsea. Roy Keane is also set to make his first appearance in the competition this season.Jose Mourinho is intending to bring a fine bottle of wine to share with Sir Alex after the game, as it is also the Portuguese manager's 42nd birthday. Unfortunately for the Chelsea boss, it is quite possible his spirits will have been dampened considerably. Given the record of Sir Alex Ferguson in semi-finals, the likelihood Chelsea won't totally be at full strength, and the game is at Old Trafford - I would far prefer my hard earned was invested in the home team. There is every chance the game could go beyond ninety minutes, and so take the 11/10 on Manchester United to qualify. Have a free bet on the game with VCBet!