Man Utd v Fulham: Berba in for unhappy Old Trafford return

FA Cup or not, there’s only one winner of this all-Premier League clash.

Manchester United have won 10 home games on the bounce against Fulham and have won every domestic game at Old Trafford since Tottenham claimed the spoils there in late September. It comes as a bit of a surprise to see the Red Devils priced only at 2/7 to advance to the fifth round without any fuss.

That Spurs loss pairs up with a dead-rubber defeat to Cluj to form the only occasions when United haven’t won on their own patch all season and only those with a penchant for throwing money away will be placing any fiscal faith in Fulham’s 9/1 for a shock win. Even 9/2 for the draw is a complete waste of time.

The Cottagers have won a measly two of their last 20 outings in 90 minutes and look a shadow of the team that put in a spirited showing against the Red Devils in the early days of the season.

Assuming Martin Jol ignores the futility of it and fields a strong side, the game will mark the return of Dimitar Berbatov to the Theatre of Dreams. He’s 10/3 to notch at any time and a price of 10/1 says he either opens or closes the scoring, while 12/1 is the offering for him to end up on the scoresheet in a Fulham win. For those of us who let sentimentally cloud our judgement, this could be deemed appealing.

However, there are plenty of sensible wincast options available, boasting some excellent prices to boot.

With Robin van Persie certain to be rested, the likes of Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez are expected to begin the game. For the latter to score at any point in a home win a price of 6/5 is on offer, while the same bet but with the England international in place of his Mexican teammate pays out at 6/4.

With the home win as close to guaranteed as you’re going to get in a football match, either one of these punts is, in effect, doing little other than improving each player’s score at any time price and this is an opportunity that leaves you wondering whether you can afford not to take it.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date