Salford City vs Manchester United U21 prediction 31.10.2023

• Competition: EFL Trophy
• Date: Tuesday, 31st October 2023
• Kickoff: 19:30 UK / 20:30 CET
• Venue: Peninsula Stadium (Salford)

On Tuesday evening, a League Two team, Salford City, will welcome Manchester United U21 in the third round of the EFL Trophy at Peninsula Stadium. 

Salford are playing their fifth consecutive season in League Two, and they are constantly around the playoffs spots. Last year, they managed to secure playoffs but were knocked out by Stockport in the Semi-Finals. This season started terribly for the Ammies, but they looked a lot better in the previous month. However, in the EFL Trophy, Salford are the worst team in the Group, with two losses in two games and without a chance to make the playoffs. Still, that shouldn't surprise us, as they played both games with a heavily rotated squad. 

Manchester United U21 were pretty bad last year, finishing just two points away from the relegation zone in Premier League 2. The current season is not significantly better, as they are 14th (of 26 teams) with only eight points in seven games. In the EFL Trophy, they are 3rd, and a win vs Salford could secure them a spot in the next stage of the competition. 

Salford City vs Man Utd U21 pick: Over 3.5 goals

In the first part of the season, Salford City had massive problems on the offensive end. But, in the last month, that hasn't been the case, as they scored 16 goals in the last seven games - 2.3 per game. However, they are still struggling defensively, and because of that, we mainly saw high-scoring games in the recent period. 

Manchester United U21, like most U21 teams, are constantly playing high-scoring games. In the last six games, they were over this line on five occasions. Additionally, in nine games this season in all competitions, MU U21 scored and conceded at least a goal every time. 

Considering everything the above, we think that an over 3.5 goals bet is the safest option for this tie.