In Premier League Soccer news, Man United Dutch manager Louis van Gaal is telling the club’s fans they should put their money on his side to win the FA Cup this May. United hasn’t looked the greatest in the competition so far though. They beat third-tier Yeovil Town 2-0 away in the third round and were then held to a 0-0 draw in Cambridge by fourth-tier Cambridge United in the next round. United then beat Cambridge 3-0 at Old Trafford in the replay and are now scheduled to visit third-tier Preston North End of League One in the fifth round. Van Gaal told the media that if he was allowed to bet then he’d definitely wager on Man United to win the trophy for the 12th time in their history.
United is currently the highest ranked team left in the tournament as they sit in third place in the English Premier League. The top two Premier League teams, Chelsea and Manchester City, have both been eliminated. However, there are still some good sides left in the event, including Liverpool and current FA Cup champions Arsenal. Van Gaal claimed he has made the FA Cup the team’s priority this season because he realizes they don’t have much of a chance to win the league. They’re 10 points behind league-leading Chelsea and they’ve already been knocked out of the English League Cup (Capital one Cup).
In addition, after finishing in seventh place in the league last season they didn’t qualify for any of this campaign’s European competitions. Van Gaal, who managed Holland at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, took over at Old Trafford last summer and has always won at least one piece of silverware in his first year at all of his clubs. The manager added, “For me, personally, I won always a title in my first year everywhere where I worked so the chance to win a title is bigger with the FA Cup than the Premier League.”
The recent Cup games against Cambridge may cost Van Gaal in the pocket book though as the English FA has charged him for derogatory comments he made after their 0-0 draw. Van Gaal was quoted as saying, “Every aspect of the match is against us — the pitch, the referee. Everything that you can think about this is against you.” He’s been charged with bringing the game into disrepute and will likely be fined for his comments.
Man United hasn’t managed to lift the FA Cup for the last 10 years and fans are hoping the winless streak will come to an end at London’s famous Wembley Stadium in a few month’s time. Man United is currently listed at 5/2 to win the FA Cup by bet365, just behind Arsenal, who are the favorites to retain their title at 12/5. Van Gaal has won first-year trophies in the past with Ajax of Amsterdam, Spanish club Barcelona and German Bundesliga team.
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