Dundee Utd v Rangers: Betting Preview & Tips

SPL | selectabet | November 1, 2009 at 12:00 pm

Dundee Utd v Rangers

Live on Sky Sports 3. Kick off 12.45pm

The sorry state of Rangers financial condition has yet to truly be reflected on the pitch. It’s widely recognised that this Rangers side is far from vintage but the truth remains that a win today maintains their unbeaten league start and puts them back to just one point behind Celtic in the Premier League table. European results aside the Ibrox side still know how to grind out a result or two against SPL cannon fodder but today’s trip to Tannadice will be a real test of the Ibrox side’s mettle in these trying times.

Significantly, albeit unlikely, a 3-0 win for the home side would see them leapfrog Walter Smith’s men and move into third place. United have proven something of a bogey team for Rangers under Craig Levein’s tutorship and we can expect them to push a Rangers side minus Bougherra, Mendes and possibly McCulloch all the way today. With a daunting trip to Romania on the horizon Smith would love nothing more than to be able to rest one or two, but his threadbare squad is beginning to get stretched.

In the last 5 meetings at Tannadice, United have won twice, drawn twice and lost once – a 3-0 defeat that clinched the title for Rangers on the final day of last season. That run extends to just 2 wins for Rangers in their last 10 visits to Tannadice. In fact in the last 20 games between the two there have been as many draws as Rangers wins (8 apiece), with United coming out on top in 4. The stats and relative form suggest that there’s something in this game for United today.

The bookies tend to agree and the best price on offer for a United win is just 10/3 (Boylesports, Coral, Ladbrokes, Stan James) Rangers can be backed at 1/1 (Canbet) and the draw is tempting at 13/5 (Stan James). The teams are closer than the odds suggest and certainly history points to 10/3 being a very very decent price for United, however the number of draws that these two play out would prevent me from going all out on the home win. Blue Sq go 9/4 on Dundee United in the draw no bet market whilst it’s 19/20 at Ladbrokes on United with a +(0.5) goal of a start on the Asian Handicap and either of those may be the safest way to play it.

For a bit more value I like the look of United to be leading at half time. I’ve no doubt that Walter Smith will go with his usual 1 up-front and try to stifle the game. This might mean they’ll be more of an attacking threat in the second half. It’s 4/1 (Blue Sq, SkyBet, Stan James) on United leading at half time and that could be worth a wee interest. It’s also worth pointing out the 16/1 (Bet365) odds on United to be winning at half time but the game ending in a draw – a result that might suit both sides. I’ll be having a wee bit of that.

That 3-0 win for Dundee United? oh yes, it’s 80/1 at Boylesports.