Sports Blog 10/01/2017: EFL Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg – Manchester United vs Hull, Tuesday 10th January 2017

Can Hull put their miserable league performances behind them when they meet Manchester United in the first EFL Cup semi-final at 8pm on Sky Sports 1?

With just 3 wins in 20 games, the most recent coming at the start of November, it is somewhat unsurprising that Hull are stuck at the bottom of the Premier League, 2 points behind the similarly troubled Sunderland and Swansea, and 3 adrift of Crystal Palace in 17th place. In what is either a symptom or the cause, the Tigers recently appointed their 3rd manager in a season that is barely halfway over, Marco Silva taking over from Mike Phelan.



Silva’s inaugural game in charge was an FA Cup tie against Swansea, with 2 late goals from Abel Hernandez (who heads to Old Trafford with a Super Mega PGM of 7-10) and defender Josh Tymon giving the Portuguese manager his first English win. Interestingly, the EFL Cup was a bright spot of Phelan’s tenure, with victories over Exeter, Stoke, Bristol and Newcastle taking Hull to the semis.

Their opponent is Man United, who have so far breezed through the competition. A 3rd round win over Northampton Town was followed by a narrow victory over Man City and a 4-1 thrashing of West Ham, leaving United as favourites for the EFL Cup at a Winner Index spread of 82-86.

Jose Mourinho’s side are coming into the semi on a 7 game winning streak. They won every league game in December, and kicked off 2017 with a confident 2-0 victory at West Ham. Most recently they trounced Reading 4-0 in the FA Cup, with their non-Ibrahimovic options up front all putting a shift in, with goals for Rooney (who has a Super Mega PGM of 37-43), Martial (at 40-47) and Rashford (at 52-60). None of those prices compares to Zlatan’s, however, the Big Swede sitting at a whopping Super Mega PGM of 95-110.

Given the gulf that separates the two sides in the Premier League it’s understandable the hosts have the advantage, with Spreadex offering a Manchester United/Hull Goal Supremacy spread of 2.35-2.55 with a Total Goals spread of 3.2-3.4.