The red-hot Reece James is backed at 17/2 and 33/1 in Sunday’s football props column ahead of Chelsea v Manchester United…
The noise made about Reece James being selected for England duty ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold may not have subsided at Anfield, but most neutrals will surely say the Chelsea full-back has had the better start to the season.
And it has been some start.
In terms of his attacking contribution, James already has five goals and five assists for the season.
In his last six Chelsea starts, he’s bagged four goals and provided two assists thanks to his driving runs down the right-hand side which often end inside the penalty area.
Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system seems to suit James perfectly and Chelsea are certainly purring right now, despite having suffered a few injury problems.
Opponents Man Utd look likely to be without concussion victim Luke Shaw again so James will be facing stand-in left-back Alex Telles in this contest.
With Harry Maguire suspended, Paul Pogba out and Mason Greenwood a doubt, this doesn’t look a good game for United to be approaching right now.
Michael Carrick, a caretaker for a yet-to-be-appointed interim boss, remains in charge and despite a midweek Champions League win, it’s not hard to envisage them struggling against a side full of confidence and one which is at least one level above the Red Devils.
In short, I can see Chelsea winning this with something to spare and if they do there’s a strong likelihood James will play a key role.
I’m therefore happy to back him in the WhoScored man of the match market.
He’s won this honour in four of his 10 club starts this season – and one of those saw him limp off after 29 minutes.
Odds of 17/2 make plenty of appeal but for those looking for something even bigger, I wouldn’t put anyone off backing James to score and assist at north of 33/1.
He’s already landed this bet at Arsenal this season when he set up Romelu Lukaku to score. The Belgian could return here which would be a boost to James’ assist chances.
Given James’ form and the current deficiencies at United, 33/1 looks over-priced.
I’ll split stakes across the two – three quarters on the man-of-the-match and a quarter on the second bet.
Click here for Kevin Hatchard’s in-depth preview of Chelsea v Man Utd
Source: Betfair Premier League
