Trust wily Fergie to get his tactics right for 3-1 United

SPORTS BETTING: MANCHESTER United, hopelessly outclassed when beaten 2-0 by Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final, must find a way to exorcise those demons in this year’s showdown at Wembley on Saturday.

Most bookmakers do not expect them to succeed. And, when you look at the personnel in both teams, one can understand why Barca are a meagre 4-9 to lift the trophy.

As I pointed out last week before Phil Taylor imploded in the Premier League darts and Gary Anderson landed our bet at 5-1, you have to work out whether the odds gap between the favourites and the underdogs is justified.

And, in this case, I don’t think it is so United simply have to be backed at 3-1 to win in 90 minutes.

Barcelona boast the world’s greater player in Lionel Messi.

There is also no better midfield duo in football than Andres Iniesta and Xavi, while David Villa is a striker of the highest class.

Wayne Rooney and perhaps the hugely-promising Javier Hernandez apart, United do not boast any players with similar class.

But United’s Premier League triumph was built on teamwork and they have the master tactician in manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ever since that fateful day in Rome two years ago, Ferguson has been plotting his revenge for what he saw as footballing humiliation at the hands of a superior outfit.

The odds are against him, but not by so much as the bookies’ quotes imply.

Take United to scrap their way to victory in normal time and the vastly-underrated Ji-Sung Park to be first goalscorer at 16-1.

Park, a workaholic whom Ferguson always seems to select for big European nights, has the happy knack of popping up with vital goals.


RECOMMENDATIONS: Manchester United to win in 90 minutes, 3-1 (general); Ji Sung-Park to be first goalscorer, 16-1 (Bet 365, Paddy Power, William Hill).