Standard should be shut out in Russia once again

WELL there's an obvious standout bet to be had tonight, but you can be sure I'm not going to get suckered in.

Everyone's telling me to get against Man United at MK Dons tonight.

They're rubbish, worst United team in decades, no confidence, no players, the players haven't got to grips with the manager's defensive formation, blah, blah.

So maybe they shouldn't be 4-11 but are they really going to lose to a League One team?

I might well stick my hard-earned on Milton Keynes at a fancy price, but would I be surprised if they got tanked?

Not really, no. They're 8-1 shots, but that might end up being the scoreline.

The early rounds of the league cup seem to get harder to call every time they change the competition's name. How do you find a winning bet when half the teams aren't that bothered about winning?

It's all very well telling me to wait until close to kick-off and check the team news, but what am I going to do all day?

Tuesday lunchtime in the pub - and quite often the afternoon at work when the boss isn't around - is the time for studying up, not a frantic half-hour before kick-off.

The Champions League looks more promising, especially after I found out that Standard Liege have never scored in Russia.

Zenit are long odds-on to win, but evens to win to nil.

Nailed on, isn't it?