Middlesbrough vs Manchester United betting tips

Sir Alex Ferguson's on-fire Manchester United side are careering towards a record 12th FA Cup and should take a further step in the direction of the silverware by beating Middlesbrough in their quarter-final tie at the Riverside Stadium at teatime on Saturday. The Red Devils have a potential treble in sight. With the Premiership theirs to lose - they currently hold a nine-point advantage over second-placed Chelsea - and having also booked themselves a quarter-final Champions League spot against Lille in midweek, United have real momentum behind them. Indeed, United are unbeaten in their last ten matches in all competitions subsequent to their narrow defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates on January 21, and they have done things the hard way in this tournament, having been pitched against fellow top-flight teams in the last three rounds. Conversely, Boro have faced sides from lower divisions in each round thus far, making pretty hard work of things, needing a replay on each occasion and only getting the better of Bristol City and West Brom in the last two rounds respectively following penalty shootouts. On the plus side, Gareth Southgate's men have gone nine games unbeaten on Teesside - their last defeat on home soil being at the hands of Man Utd, ironically, on December 2 - and they can go into this game in the knowledge that United will have limited attacking options with both Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the sidelines. However, as United proved against Lille, they are as resourceful and tenacious as they are classy and Henrik Larsson will be keen to bowl out on a high in what is set to be his last appearance for United. He and Wayne Rooney will start up front with Dong Fangzhuo, who has been called into the side for the first time, on the bench along with Alan Smith. In attack is where Boro are at their strongest. Mark Viduka has been in good form of late, linking up well with the predatory Yakubu. If Sir Alex does rest any of his key players, it'd be unwise for the Scotsman to field an under-strength defense with such players in opposition. But, sadly for Southgate and his charges, I very much doubt that United will be taking any chances at this stage of the competition. The Red Devils are hell bent on pursuing a glittering treble and deposing Chelsea of their status as the Premierships superpowers. Games at the Riverside have a propensity to come alive in the second half and, after what might turn out to be a tactical first 45 minutes I reckon that goals will start to flow in the second half. Indeed, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if this match were to produce a good number of goals. For punters, however, the safe option is to opt for second half in the half with most goals betting at 11/10 with Stan James. Admittedly it's incredible value by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel it's a pretty cast-iron profit generating bet. And maximum stakes are advised. Verdict - 2.50pts second half in the half with most goals betting @ 11/10 (Stan James - free twenty five pound cash match)