On Tuesday afternoon, Manchester United (2 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw) will travel to Estadio El Madrigal to take on Villarreal (2-1-1). The match is scheduled to kick off at 12:45 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the Villarreal vs. Manchester United odds and lines, and make our best Champions League bets, picks and predictions.
Manchester United is a mess right now. They still have an ultra-talented roster led by F Cristiano Ronaldo, but they just fired their manager, so things are in flux following a 4-1 loss to Watford this past weekend.
They’re still sitting atop Group F in the Champions League and have scored 8 goals while giving up 7.
La Liga’s Villarreal are led by 24-year-old Dutch F Arnaut Groeneveld. He has 5 goals in 9 starts, but is doubtful for Tuesday’s contest. They are tied with 7 points in UCL action but sit in second in Group F as Man U won 2-1 the last time these two met Sept. 29.
Villarreal vs. Manchester United: Odds, picks and predictions
Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Villarreal +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Manchester United +155 (bet $100 to win $155) | Draw +235
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Prediction
Villarreal 1, Manchester United 0
Money line (ML)
“LEAN” on VILLARREAL (+180) as it’s the more competent side at the moment. The last time these two teams took the pitch, it was a 95th-minute Ronaldo goal that sent United away with three.
United was actually outshot in the first meeting, and with Pogba and Mason Greenwood (one of the team’s top scorers) out, getting the ball to the elite forward is going to be easier said than done.
Villarreal is slipping in league play, winning just 3 of 13 games, but it also lost just three while recording seven draws. While its form hasn’t been great it hasn’t lost four of its last five games like Man U.
It’s just not a good idea to back United right now. This is a more a fade against United than a bet on Villarreal.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET on the UNDER 2.5 (-107) as Villarreal doesn’t have an elite offensive side and their opponent is missing two of its key distributors. Man U being without Greenwood and Pogba is huge, and it means the serves to Ronaldo may not be at the same level as normal.
Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matić just haven’t done a good enough job in league action, and with those key pieces against out, they’ll be asked to do too much.
Villarreal has scored just 15 goals in 13 La Liga matches and has scored 5 goals in four UCL matches, so they aren’t necessarily a thriving offense either.
With that in mind, I’d shy away from betting on goals in this one. Both teams played a scoreless first half the last time they took the field.
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