Manchester United might be eleven points behind Manchester City at this point in time, although the Red Devils were severely hamstrung by the fact that the players struggled to understand their roles under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian has now been relieved of his duties and the future appears a lot brighter under Ralf Rangnick.
The German has a defining football philosophy which involves a stronger workrate and defending from the front. It was an encouraging start as United ground out a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and it initially seems as though Rangnick is getting the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo as the lone forward.
Can Ronaldo Put Canaries to the Sword?
Ronaldo could certainly hold the key to a victory against the bottom-placed team, with the multiple Ballon d’Or winner having enjoyed a strong start to life back at Old Trafford despite some abject team performances.
It was interesting against the Eagles that his team-mates were trying to find their star player aerially and it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw this prowess come to the fore here. Meanwhile, Fred is also being encouraged to take up attacking positions on the pitch and perhaps the Brazilian can cause problems.
Norwich Big Outsiders to Beat Red Devils
You might have given the Canaries a sporting chance of victory a few weeks ago. Indeed, Dean Smith might rue the fact that United were so beatable under Solskjaer that they lost 4-1 at Watford before the manager was given his marching orders. However, it might not be the same story in this clash.
Teemu Pukki had chances to score against Tottenham and the Finn holds the key to the relegation-threatened team getting anything from this clash. However, it might be that chances are at a premium considering that Rangnick will have had another week to work with this talented group.
What Are the Best Bets for Norwich v United?
We think that a Manchester United win to nil could certainly be on the cards. Palace were only afforded one notable chance all match at Old Trafford and we’re expecting the Red Devils to have lots of possession and run a tight ship from a defensive point of view.
This is a good alternative to backing United simply to win the game, with Diogo Dalot now preferred over Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while David de Gea remains an outstanding stopper and we might start to see the best of Harry Maguire who had a difficult time of things under the previous manager.
BETTING VERDICT
Manchester United + BTTS No