Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United square off against Claude Puel’s Southampton in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium this Sunday.
The Red Devils may be the bookies’ favourites, but the Saints have yet to concede a goal in this year’s competition. They have also seen off four Premier League sides, beating Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Arsenal and Liverpool to reach the last two.
As for United, they got the better of Northampton Town, Manchester City, West Ham United and Hull City.
Who will lift the EFL Cup trophy come Sunday afternoon? Check out our live odds comparison, tips, best betting odds, prediction and analysis on the big final at Wembley!
Going into Sunday’s showpiece final, Manchester United are certainly the team in form. Jose’s boys have lost just one of their last 24 league and cup games. However, that sole defeat came in the previous round of this competition, when they lost the second leg of the semi 2-1 at Hull City.
In terms of Premier League form, United have won nine and drawn seven of their 16 matches since their last PL defeat. They go into Sunday’s final fresh off the back of back-to-back league wins over Leicester City and Watford respectively, without shipping a goal.
Southampton’s form has not been quite as impressive, even though they warmed up for Sunday’s match with a huge 4-0 win at Sunderland last time out. Worryingly for the Saints, they lost their previous three fixtures. Having been knocked out of the UEFA Europa League at the group stage, as well as being kicked out of the Emirates FA Cup by Arsenal, the Saints can concentrate on league matters after Sunday’s final.
Southampton have really struggled for consistency since Ronald Koeman left and was replaced by Puel, but they have shown gradual signs of improvement as the season has progressed. The Saints currently sit 11th in the Premier League table, having taken 30 points from 25 games.
These two have already met this season, with Man Utd winning 2-0 at Old Trafford in the PL back in August. In truth, the Red Devils were well worthy of their comfortable victory that day, with the influential Zlatan Ibrahimovic netting a brace.
Nonetheless, Southampton have had some memorable victories at Old Trafford over the past few years, winning 1-0 at the Theatre of Dreams in both 2015 and 2016. However, United have certainly had the edge in recent times.
Man Utd are four-time EFL Cup winners, winning in it 1992, 2006, 2009 and 2010, all under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson. In contrast, the Saints have never lifted this trophy – coming closest in 1979, when Lawrie McMenemy’s Southampton lost 3-2 to Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest.
The last time the pair went head-to-head in this competition was way back in December 1982, with Manchester Utd running out 2-0 winners. They have met in the FA Cup more recently, though.
As we touched on, Manchester United go into this EFL Cup final as the clear favourites. In fact, looking at our odds comparison, Ladbrokes are offering as little as 3/4 for United to win in 90 minutes. The best odds, however, are with Paddy Power, who go 17/20. Meanwhile, Southampton are available at 4/1 at Bet365, with the draw being priced at 13/5 with Sporting Bet.
Looking at those odds and prices, it’s difficult to see past a United win. On paper, they have got a superstar squad, they also have a manager who’s been there, done it and got the T-shirt. Mourinho won this tournament three times whilst boss of Chelsea, most recently in 2015.
With the likes of Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and many other attacking threats, the Saints’ back four will need to be at their very best to contain them. Then, they need to take their chances if and when they come at the other end.
We believe the Red Devils will edge proceedings at Wembley this weekend. At just 17/20 for the win, we believe you are better off backing United to win by a margin. Coral are offering the generous odds of 9/4 for Mourinho’s men to win -1 in the capital, a price we feel is well worth having a punt on.
Whatever the outcome, Sunday will be a great occasion for the Southampton fans who were a Football League side not so long ago. As for the United faithful, after a few years of hurt, could their beloved team finally be back on the up again?