Betting: Newcastle

Odds correct at time of writing. For the latest, see ManUtd.com/bet .

United set out on the road to Wembley tonight as Sir Alex's men welcome Newcastle in the Capital One Cup third round.

The first thing to note is that this competition has traditionally been a hazardous environment for punters. The tendency of the top teams to make wholesale changes to their line-ups makes it incredibly difficult to predict an outcome with any degree of confidence.

This is perhaps why United are not a shorter price than 9/20, with the draw available at 16/5 and a shock Newcastle triumph rated at 11/2. But there are two main reasons why the Reds should be backed with confidence to get the job done.

Firstly, the Magpies’ record at OT is woeful. Newcastle are without a win at United in 29 games, stretching back to 1972. More significantly, we believe Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck, who were on the bench for the weekend win over Liverpool, are likely to start and