Granada vs Manchester United
Manchester United’s quest to win the Europa League for the second time in five years was made much easier when they drew Granada in the quarter-finals.
The Spaniards are arguably the weakest of the eight teams left in the tournament and have been in horrific form in La Liga.
As such, the Europa League 2021 betting odds expect the Red Devils to get past Granada with relative ease. But United must be careful not to underestimate Granada, who will be treating this matchup with Man United on home soil as their final.
Talking Points
Granada not in great form
To say Granada are not doing great in La Liga would be an understatement. They have won just twice in their last 11 league matches with six defeats, the latest being a 3-0 hammering at home against Villarreal over the weekend.
But despite that horrendous form, they remain comfortably in mid-table, more or less safe from relegation.
A major factor in Granada’s dip in domestic form has been their surprise run in Europe. They pulled off a shock upset of Napoli in the round of 32 and also got past Molde in the round of 16.
On both occasions, Granada won the first leg 2-0, which was enough to see them through despite losing both second legs 2-1.
Veteran striker Roberto Soldado scored in both legs against Molde and is in fine form at the moment with three goals in his last five games.
Granada will continue to rely heavily on the 35-year-old Soldado for goals against United as they will still be without second-leading scorer Luis Suarez due to injury. The 23-year-old has seven goals this season, two of which have come in Europe.
Red Devils right at home away
Manchester United continue to grind out results even without looking particularly impressive. They picked up their fourth victory in their last six games as they came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 at home.
They also eked out a 1-0 second-leg win over AC Milan at San Siro to make it through to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has been outstanding away from home all season long and have lost just once in their last 14 away matches in all competitions. That includes a 4-0 win against Real Sociedad in the round of 32, although that was in neutral territory in Turin, and a 2-0 win in the derby against Man City.
Bruno Fernandes scored two of United’s goals against La Real. The Portuguese playmaker’s production has dipped since then, but he has been excellent in Europe this season with six goals and two assists in 10 games. With Granada likely to play very defensively, Bruno will once again be crucial for United to break their opponents down.
Anthony Martial is set to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. Meanwhile, the latest Europa League 2021 updates suggest Marcus Rashford – who just returned from injury – is a doubt to play after limping off against Brighton.
Losing Rashford would obviously be a massive blow for the Red Devils. He is the team’s leading scorer in Europe this season with seven goals.
If Rashford does miss out, Mason Greenwood, who has scored in back-to-back games for the first time this season, will have to step up in Spain.
History
To no one’s surprise, this will be the first-ever meeting between Granada and Man United. In fact, this is Granada’s first UEFA match against English opposition as this is their first-ever season in Europe.
As for United, they have faced Spanish foes in 27 away matches, winning just four times in total with 11 draws and 11 losses. Rashford scored the winning goal in their last win in Spain against Celta Vigo in the 2016-17 season.
Betting Tip
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Granada vs Manchester United | Manchester United Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.19 |
| April 9, 03:00(GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Manchester United installed as significant 1.63 favourites to win the first leg away from home. Granada are priced at 5.40 while a draw is 3.50.
Given United’s terrific away record this season coupled with the major gulf in talent between them and Granada, it’s tough to see anything other than a United away win.
With the Europa League the last piece of silverware United have a shot at winning, I expect them to come out like they did in the first leg against Sociedad and take the game to the Spaniards en route to a comfortable win.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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