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Wigan vs Man Utd tips: Betting preview with FA Cup predictions, best odds & free bets

The final tie of the FA Cup third round is a meeting between Wigan and Manchester United
Wigan vs Man Utd tips: Betting preview with FA Cup predictions, best odds & free bets
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Wigan vs Manchester Utd betting tips:


While Manchester United’s standing in the outright market for the 2023/24 FA Cup varies slightly with online bookmakers, they enter the third round weekend among the favourites to go all the way.

And with good reason. One of Arsenal and Liverpool will fall at this hurdle, with other top sides likely to focus more on the title race and securing a top four finish as the season goes on. As even the latter looks beyond the Red Devils, they should take the FA Cup very seriously indeed.

A trip to face League One Wigan Athletic on Monday evening (8.15pm, ITV 1) offers the vague possibility of supreme embarrassment for United but they could still win this comfortably with minimum fuss.

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Wigan v Man Utd betting: Tight battle in store

In the last 19 seasons, these teams have each won the FA Cup once, but for Wigan it was the greatest day in the history of the club whereas for United it drew the curtain on Louis van Gaal’s disappointing tenure. 

But while their histories and paths since winning the famous old trophy both differ, neither side had much to shout about in the second half of 2023.

Wigan finished bottom of the Championship last season and currently find themselves 17th in League One with as many defeats as wins (10). While they’ve taken four points from their last two games, that followed a run of three consecutive defeats. 

With 10 wins and nine losses in the Premier League, United’s league campaign has been broadly similar. Having also finished bottom of their Champions League group, it’s little wonder Erik ten Hag leads the Premier League sack race odds at 9/4 with BoyleSports.

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In a sense, this cup tie is uncharted territory for the Dutchman. United enjoyed a run of 12 consecutive home draws in domestic cup competitions prior to this game, a streak which began before his arrival in England. 

As such, it’s hard to know how strong a starting XI Ten Hag will select for what should be an easy win. With this coming over a week after United’s last game and with six days until their next, there’s no desperate need for them to rest players.

With their stuttering form and lengthy injury list, even Ten Hag’s best available side offers no guarantee of goals. And while this is obviously a step up in test for the Wigan defence, only two sides in League One have conceded fewer goals at home this season.

United sit bottom of the Premier League for matches featuring over 3.5 goals and it has only occurred in one of the hosts’ 12 league games at the DW Stadium this term. The Red Devils may win but the goal total could be relatively low. 

Tip: Manchester United to win and Under 3.5 goals – 11/10 with Betway

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Cards aplenty from Taylor?

Anthony Taylor is the man in charge of this Greater Manchester derby and he could make plenty of bookings having averaged 4.8 per game in all competitions this season. 

Shaun Maloney’s side are the bad boys of League One, propping up the fair play table with 75 yellow cards and three reds so far in 2023/24.

While he is yet to be sent off, defender Sean Clare is Wigan’s worst offender for bookings. Only three players in League One can top his total of eight yellow cards and it’s worth noting half of them have occurred since the start of December.

Playing on the right of defence, he will come up against the likes of Alejandro Garnacho or Marcus Rashford so he will be kept busy. A card for Clare looks reasonably priced on football betting sites. 

Tip: To Be Shown A Card: Sean Clare – 11/5 with bet365

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Hojlund to keep on the goal trail

Rasmus Hojlund is having a very strange season in front of goal. His expected goal figures in the Champions League and Premier League are only 0.4 apart, yet he has scored five times in Europe and only broke his domestic duck in his last appearance.

Combine the two and he has six goals from 6.6 expected so he’s doing perfectly fine, but the focus on his goal-less run in the Premier League has painted a somewhat unfair picture of his overall performance.

League One opposition should enable Hojlund to pick up where he left off against Aston Villa last time out. Add in his European Championship qualifying goals for Denmark and he’s found the net more times in away games than at home too.

His price to score anytime is a little on the short side on betting apps, but if he starts it’s a bet we’ll be taking up.  

Tip: Anytime Goalscorer: Rasmus Hojlund – 19/20 with Betfred

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Get FA Cup free bets

You can get free bets by signing up for a new bookmaker online to wager on Wigan vs Man Utd and other FA Cup ties this weekend.

Bzeebet is a new betting site in the UK and they are offering new customers the chance to get a £10 free bet in return for a first deposit of £10. 

To qualify for the Bzeebet sign-up offer, punters need to register an account online at this link, deposit £10 and bet that £10 on any sport at odds of evens or greater. You’ll then receive a £10 free bet which can be used on FA Cup action or other sporting events. 

Make sure to read all the terms and conditions for Bzeebet’s promo offer before creating an account to ensure it meets your needs. Please remember to gamble responsibly and only bet within your means.

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Andrew Beasley for independent.co.uk

Updated by

Andrew Beasley

Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM

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