You Bet | FA Cup thrashing doesn't bode well for Fulham
Relentless Manchester United look set to beat the Londoners for second time in eight days
A mere handful of teams have been able to live with Manchester United in the English Premier League this season and the bulk of the division must be glad to see the back of the runaway leaders so that they can get on with the business of matches they might actually win.
Fulham, however, are in the unfortunate position of a second match against United in the space of eight days when they host the leaders tonight with the memory still fresh of last week's 4-1 thrashing at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.
Fulham also lost 3-2 at Old Trafford in the league, which suggests goals will be plentiful again and mostly in the hosts' net. Most of the difficulty for United has been against the other teams in the top seven (which comprises the big six plus Everton) and their record against the rest of the Premier League this season is 14 wins, a tie and a loss.
In those 16 games so far against the 13 teams outside the elite group, United have scored 44 goals to 19 against, which roughly equates to a 3-1 victory each time for Alex Ferguson's side. In fact, their actual away results in that category have been 3-2, 3-0, 3-2, 0-1, 4-3, 1-1 and 4-0 - the only teams to have stopped them are Norwich (who beat them in mid-November) and Swansea (who drew just before Christmas).
The five away wins in that category have all been high-scoring, although it is notable that only two have been by more than a single goal. Over 2.5 goals looks as good as a win bet on United, but the handicap remains risky.
A better value win bet among the top teams is Manchester City at home to Liverpool. City have faltered on the road this season but their home record remains excellent - 27 wins out of 31 since the start of last season and only one defeat (3-2 against Manchester United this season).