Prediction & odds for the game: Granada (11/2) v Manchester United (4/7) – ST is backing the away win

When: Thursday, 8th April @ 8pm K.O

Where: Estadio Los Carmenes

Granada will hope to keep their Europa League adventure alive as they prepare for the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Manchester United.

Granada

Granada have struggled to break free of midtable mediocrity in La Liga this season, and yet here they are, just five games away from earning Champions League football. The best thing they’ve got going for them is their heart and determination, and while you may not think that’ll get them particularly far, we tend to believe it can cause a team like Manchester United real problems – but only if they can keep it up over the course of 90 minutes.

One of the biggest upsets in the Round of 32 was set in motion when Granada beat Napoli 2-0 in their first leg encounter. Then, in the second leg, they held on and progressed despite a 2-1 defeat. The exact same trend followed against Molde as they put forward a 2-0 lead in the first leg before losing the second 2-1, showcasing Granada’s ability to measure out a game over two legs and really understand the risks involved.

Manchester United

Manchester United aren’t trying to be the prettiest team to watch, but what they are doing is winning games – and they’re doing it pretty consistently too. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is trying to take it one game at a time, knowing that the Red Devils are reverting back to a team who are capable of springing a late surprise or two. They’ll want to take their time in this game and not rush into anything, because that’s where Granada will be dangerous.

United set themselves up for success in the Round of 32 with an utterly dominant 4-0 win over Real Sociedad, to the point where a 0-0 draw was absolutely fine in the second. Then, in the Round of 16, they opened up with a 1-1 draw against AC Milan before a really professional 1-0 win in the second leg to get them into the last eight.

Conclusion

Granada will feel like they have nothing to lose heading into this one and rightly so, which is why the pressure is on Manchester United to go out there and remind people why so many consider them to be the favourites to win this competition. We’re expecting a slow, reserved start to the game from United as they attempt to figure out the best way to break through Granada’s resistance, and then eventually, they’ll pour on the pressure and edge out an important victory to take forward into the second leg.

Our official scoreline prediction is going to be 1-0 United, ensuring we stick to the under 2.5 goals bracket.

Verdict: Back the away win at odds of 4/7 and the under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 8/11 (All odds are taken from bet365).

[geosnippet id=3620]

If you want to bet on Granada vs Man United then head on over to the betting page. Alternatively, you can check out some of the other available fixtures on the soccer predictions page as this season’s Europa League drama continues.