Right Said Fred: Talking betting With BetFred Boss Fred Done

You do think City will have to score at least one goal on Friday against Real Madrid to ensure they make the last eight of the Champions League.

I agree wholeheartedly with Wayne Rooney that the Blues may never get a better chance to win what for the Abu Dhabi owners is the Holy Grail.

Pep Guardiola will know for certain that Europe’s aristocrats will be no pushovers – even if this Real Madrid isn’t the greatest and will be without injured star defender Sergio Ramos.

City who have been in smashing form since the resumption of the Premier League albeit for a couple of slip ups notably losing to Arsenal in the FA Cup, are 4/6 to triumph in Friday’s Etihad clash.

Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus are both 7/2 with Betfred to score first while my player of the year Kevin de Bruyne  is 6/1.

Going forward and keeping possession, City are magnificent but a completely different story at the back.

I can however see City repeating the first leg 2-1 scoreline which is 7/1 – although a popular bet  is 2-1 for Zinedine Zidane’s newly-crowned champs thus sending the game into extra time at 12/1.

Betfred have City still 3/1 favourites to be outright winners of the Big Ears Trophy although we have had significant bets on Bayern Munich and PSG who have both shortened to 10/3 and 5/1 respectively.

This may raise an eyebrow or two, but I’m convinced United’s front three will go goal crazy next season – and that’s even without the pending arrival of Jadon Sancho!

I’m willing to go even further by stating here and now that Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will score more than the front three of City AND Liverpool.

Betfred have Greenwood, Rashford and Martial at 6/4 to outscore Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino (13/8).

I’ve not included Sergio Aguero amongst City’s three because I reckon he won’t play as many games as Jesus next season.

Anyway, Betfred have Sterling, Jesus and Riyad Mahrez at 9/4 to be the Premier League’s most prolific trio.

There is a trend towards more goals – and it may come as a surprise that United’s trio scored 44 league goals last season, with the three-named City players notching 45 between them and the three from the champions Liverpool bagging 46.

So, United are right up there, boosted by a late flurry from teenager Greenwood who was in my opinion the find of the season.

His place will no doubt come under threat if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gets the £100m+ deal for 20-year-old Sancho over the line.

But no matter, for you can’t have enough strikers, as proven by United’s treble-winning season in 1999 when we had FOUR superb strikers – namely Solskjaer, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke – who would have got into any team anywhere in the world.

England winger Sancho, who stunned City’s academy by leaving to make his mark at Dortmund, looks a perfect fit for the Reds’ speedy, counter-attacking style – and I can’t wait for him to rock up at Old Trafford!

If United are going to challenge the dominance of Liverpool and City, who both have far stronger squads, Solskjaer must buy big – and the Sancho deal is a statement of intent that we want the glory years back at Old Trafford.

I’m not bothered about his background at Watford and City, or the deal whereby the Blues get a significant percentage of sell-on deals, for all I’m thinking about is the future and how we’ll have a strike-force that’s second to none here or in Europe.

With United’s intention on splashing the cash this summer, they are 7/1 at Betfred to win the Premier League next season – behind favourites City at EVS and current holders Liverpool 13/8.

Then we have Chelsea at 14/1, Tottenham 50/1, and FA Cup winners Arsenal 66/1.

Promoted Leeds have straightened at 200/1 – while Wolves and Leicester are both 150/1 shots.

At the other end of the table, Betfred have two Birmingham teams West Brom and Aston Villa at EVS and 2/1 respectively to be relegated – while Crystal Palace are 5/2, Burnley 11/4, and Newcastle 3/1 to face the drop.

Well the Betfred Super League couldn’t have wished for a better start than the high-drama served up on  Sunday.

Saints did better than the pundits expected to humble the Catalan Dragons before the incredible comeback victory for Leeds against Huddersfield.

Wire, two points behind the new league leaders Rhinos, get their resumed season  underway behind closed turnstiles against Hull Kingston Rovers back at Headingley on Saturday.

With the necessary adjustments made to the table Warrington are surprisingly midtable  but having conceded 82 points – the lowest along with Wigan in the league.

But the Wolves have only scored 84 points which is less than EIGHT of their rivals…so it is obvious which area Steve Price will be concentrating on as he plots his tactics for the weekend clash.

Salford, meanwhile, who are amongst the outsiders at 150/1 to go one better and win the Betfred Super League Grand Final, have a tough game as their season resumes against Hull FC also at Headingley on Sunday.