AUDI CUP – Boca Juniors vs. Manchester United

The Audi Cup is a two day association football tournament that was announced for the 2009-10 pre-season. In its inaugural year, the tournament is getting off to a respectable start, attracting noteworthy clubs like Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and AC Milan. Set to get underway on Wednesday July 29 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Boca Juniors and Manchester United received the honour of kicking off the proceedings. This is an exceptional opportunity for English Premier League fans to preview Manchester United and the new look it is sporting after losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez to city rivals Manchester City.

Soccer Betting Line:

Boca Juniors +½ +120 +350 2½ O -105 U -125 Draw +250

Manchester United -½ -150 -150 2½ O -105 U -125 Draw +250

Match Time: 12:15 P.M. Eastern Time, Wednesday July 29 2009

Venue: Allianz Arena Munich

Manchester United debut’s new look

It may only be a pre-season tournament but Manchester United will likely try to get off to a good start in their match against Boca Juniors, anxious to get fans excited about their club now that its talisman Ronaldo has defected over to sunnier pastures in Spain and Carlos Tevez was let go without a backward glance to Manchester City.

Will Manchester United set the world alight with their new look? The last time we saw Man U they barely ignited a spark, losing to Barcelona 2:0 in the Champions League final. This is the first time they come together on a luscious field to toss a ball around without two key players who were instrumental on their attacking line. In spite of this, bookies seem to favour them strongly, listing them at -150. They still have Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen.

Boca Juniors test themselves against one of the best European clubs

Boca Juniors is not the same team we saw a few years ago but they enter this friendly tournament without much of the implied sentiment. They are determined to make a statement and what better statement to make than to beat the Premier League darlings two-years running. Though they are optimistic about their chances the bookies tip them severely long.

Soccer Betting Verdict: While both sides enter this match with their respective objectives, it is still a friendly match. Backing Manchester United for the outright win is still considered the value play. The over 2.5 goals is another good play as this is a pre-season match, so both teams will try to flex their scoring muscles without being fearful of risking points or standing as during a regular season match.