The Red Devils are flying high on the shoulders of influential youngster
Wayne Rooney. The English International has scored no less than 6 goals in the last 3 games, including a 4-0 win over Hull City in which he was the lone goal scorer. Last Sunday's goal against the Gunners marked Rooney's 100th career Premier League goal. Their recent successes have lifted the team's spirits and an encounter with last placed Portsmouth will not concern the
Red Devils. Porsmouth have only beaten Manchester once in their last 10 Premier League encounters. The Red Devils are 10-1-1 at home and have scored 2.58 goals to 0.67 conceded on average while at
Old Trafford. A win here will place Manchester one point ahead of table leaders Chelsea. The lure of getting 1st place will push
Alex Ferguson's squad to perform at their very best and ensure 3 points against Pompey.
Portsmouth may have broken a record by having switched management no less than 4 times this year. Pompey are 6 points adrift of safety and are last place in the Premiership. Although they have not accumulated many points, their performance has been strong and the desire to escape relegation is certainly there. However, while playing on the road Portsmouth has only managed to avoid defeat 3 times. These matches came against fellow strugglers Wolverhampton, Hull City and Sunderland. They will receive a small boost with the return of
Kanu from the African Nations Cup but are still without Smith and Hughes. Defender
Ricardo Rocha was just acquired on-loan from Fulham and could make his debut in this match.
Despite
Portsmouth's positive performances, they cannot seem to string together a consistent run of results. Having switched owners 4 times this season has had surprisingly little effect on the confidence of the players. Red Devils are ready to take charge of the 09/10 season as they approach their best form on the back of
Wayne Rooney's impressive displays up front. Manchester's strong home record and recent results will help them to open up Pompey's defense early and this should be another high scoring match.
Manchester United vs Portsmouth F.C.
Saturday January 6, 2010
Kickoff: 16:00 CET
Venue: Old Trafford (Manchester)
Tip: Over 2.5 Goals
Best Odds: 1.50 @ Expekt
