Manchester United vs. Hull City

Despite slipping up in both the Carling Cup and FA Cup, Ferguson’s Red Devils have remained strong in the Premiership. However, Tuesday night’s derby loss to Manchester City may hamper United’s spirits for the weekend match. Hull City were shown out of the FA Cup by Wigan Athletic in early January, so Phil Brown must give all his focus to keeping the Tigers from relegation.
Sir Alex will be without Ben Foster, Federico Macheda, John O’Shea, Owen Hargreaves and Dimitar Berbetov. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are improving in fitness and could be included in the squad. Phil Brown has just acquired Egyptian striker Amir Zaki from Wigan Athletic and he could feature in this tough matchup. However, Hull will still be without key players Jimmy Bullard and Ian Ashbee. Expect Brown to put up a tough defensive front as the Tigers attempt to salvage at least a point against the reigning champs.

Match details:
Manchester United vs. Hull City
Saturday, January 23, 2010 – 4:00 pm CET
22nd match day
Old Trafford – Manchester

Probable squads:
Manchester United:
Van der Sar – Evra, Evans, Brown, Neville – Valencia, Carrick, Scholes, Nani – Rooney, Owen
Hull City:
Myhill – Dawson, Zayatte, Gardner, Mcshane – Geovanni, Hunt, Boateng, Olofinjana – Zaki, Vennegoor of Hesselink

Current table:
3 Manchester United: Overall: 15-2-5, Home: 9-1-1, Away: 6-1-4, GD: +30
18 Hull City: Overall: 4-7-10, Home: 4-3-3, Away: 0-4-7, GD: -22

Head-to-Head in EPL:
27-12-2009 Hull City – Manchester United 1 – 3
24-05-2009 Hull City – Manchester United 0 – 1
01-11-2008 Manchester United – Hull City 4 – 3

Prediction:
Hull City have a brand new signing in Amir Zaki, who could give the Tigers a boost in the counterattack.
With Arsenal jumping the Red Devils this midweek, Sir Alex will field a determined squad to ensure 3 points from this match.
Although Phil Brown will attempt to defend in numbers, the Tigers will not be able to hold United’s attack for long. With a new signing ready to impress, Hull may score at least once at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals
Best Odds: 1.50 @ Betsson Sportsbook .