Expert Jury: Manchester United must be taken on

We asked our top team of writers and a leading odds-compiler for their thoughts on this week's big talking points and this is how they answered...

What is your best football bet this weekend?

Racing Post's Steve Davies: Newport seem to have struck gold with the arrival of James Rowberry as head coach. He was a respected first-team coach at Cardiff his players looked sharp earning him a 3-1 win at Bristol Rovers in his first match in charge. Take them to follow that up by beating Stevenage, who haven't scored in their last three and have won just two of 15.

Racing Post's Liam Flin: Leipzig are starting to find their feet under Jesse Marsch, winning three of their last four Bundesliga affairs, and they can add Eintracht Frankfurt to their list of scalps. Frankfurt have managed only one win in the league this term and their 2-0 defeat to lowly Bochum last week has left them only a couple of points above the drop zone.

Racing Post's James Milton: Brentford to win to nil at Burnley at around 7-2. The Bees have been excellent away from home this season, winning at Wolves and West Ham and drawing at Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. Burnley have scored just twice in four home league games, including a 0-0 draw with bottom club Norwich, and they could be vulnerable against their impressive visitors.

Brian McDonnell, Paddy Power: Forest Green look appealing at Bradford. Sitting top of the league, Rovers are unbeaten in their seven away league games this season, winning five and conceding just three goals. Bradford also have a few absentees with Liam Ridehalgh, Lee Angol and Abo Eisa all expected to be out.

Who are the most vulnerable favourites?

Steve Davies: Swansea have failed to win ten of 14 Championship matches this season and are struggling for goals. That combination makes them a fair lay at home to Peterborough. The Swans draw too many games – they have already been involved in four 0-0s – and the one thing we know about Peterborough is that they'll have a go. Buoyed by back-to-back 2-1 wins over Hull and QPR, they can avoid defeat.

Liam Flin: Lyon are worth opposing at home to Lens this weekend.
Lyon's confidence will have taken a hit after they lost 3-2 to Nice last time out, despite leading 2-0 after 79 minutes, and it is not a good time to be playing top-three hopefuls Lens, who have won three of their last four matches.

James Milton: Sevilla's home record has to be respected in La Liga but at the prices they are worth opposing when they host fearless travellers Osasuna. The visitors had won all four of their away league matches before Wednesday's 0-0 draw at Real Madrid, where they hit the post and restricted Real to just three shots on target.

Brian McDonnell: It must be Manchester United at Tottenham. It looks near impossible for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to come back from the past few weeks as it would take a drastic change in performance for them to start picking up points. Tottenham have been no great shakes this season but as underdogs, they’re very backable.

Who would be the best realistic choice to replace Solskjaer?

Steve Davies: It's so difficult. They've almost certainly missed the boat with Mauricio Pochettino, who would have been an ideal fit, but Zinedine Zidane and Ronald Koeman are available. Of the two Zidane would make sense because he'd have the stature to take control of that dressing room. Graham Potter wouldn't necessarily which is a shame because he'd deserve a shot at a job like United but the board are unlikely to gamble again.

Liam Flin: I can't see past market-leader Antonio Conte. Despite their recent mauling by Liverpool, United still look only a few key signings away from being genuine title-contenders and the Italian has the experience and pedigree to take them back to that level. Conte has four Serie A titles, a Premier League title and the FA Cup to his name and would be an excellent fit.

James Milton: It's a tricky situation for United. They could chuck money at Antonio Conte, who would improve them in the short term but is unlikely to stick around for long, or they could go for Sevilla's Julen Lopetegui, who has bounced back impressively after being sacked by Spain and Real Madrid during a traumatic five months in 2018.

Brian McDonnell: If I was in charge at Old Trafford I’d be trying to lure Brendan Rodgers away from Leicester. I don’t think he’d have any qualms in jumping ship and he has a style of attacking play that already fits in with United's squad.

Would Xavi be the right manager to sort out the mess at Barcelona?

Steve Davies: I'm amazed he's putting his hand up. If there's a wrong time to be marching into the Nou Camp – and it doesn't matter how much of an idol the man is – it's now. Yes, he'll have the board and the fans on his side - as did Koeman - but he'll have no money to spend and two years in Qatar give few clues as to whether he's cut out for La Liga and the Champions League. Expect marginal improvements but not a lot more.

Liam Flin: Given their financial conundrum, Barcelona need someone who can focus on youth development and occupy the dugout on a long-term basis rather than bring overnight success. A product of La Masia himself, Xavi could fit the bill. He could get the best out of Pedri and Gavi and as a club legend should garner more patience from fans than someone less familiar with the club.

James Milton: Barcelona's financial woes mean they have to pin their hopes on brilliant teenagers Ansu Fati, Pedri and Gavi so appointing Xavi makes sense. He would be a great mentor for the youngsters but there is only so much a coach can do in this situation and it may take several years for Barca to close the gap on Europe's top clubs.

Brian McDonnell: He knows the club so well and all the talk is that he’s ready for the job. Barcelona are a mess now though. If I were him, I’d wait until pre-season to take charge. If he comes in now and tries to clean up a mess not of his doing and doesn’t make progress in the first two or three months, he could be gone and his reputation ruined. I’d come in on my terms if I was him.

Give us a winner on the midweek coupon

Steve Davies: Milan's return to the Champions League has been little short of disastrous but they can get off the mark by beating Porto at San Siro. Despite having no points after three rounds, Milan are not out of it courtesy of Liverpool's flying start with two home matches left. At the very least they should be targeting third so victory over Porto – which ought to be routine given their domestic form – is a necessity.

Liam Flin: Europe's biggest clubs should all be rushing to sign Karim Adeyemi this January. The 19-year-old German forward is on fire for Salzburg with ten Austrian Bundesliga goals to his name this season. He also has three strikes in the Champions League, opening the scoring against Wolfsburg last time out, and he is again worth a look in the any-time scorer market against the same opposition.

James Milton: Bayern Munich-Bayern Munich double result looks a solid bet at 4-6 against Benfica. Bayern are smarting from their shock 5-0 cup defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach but they won their first three Champions League matches by an aggregate score of 12-0. They've taken the lead inside 30 minutes in their last seven Bundesliga games and Benfica may struggle to hold firm for long at the Allianz Arena.

Brian McDonnell: PSG should win in Leipzig. The Germans are a shadow of their team they were last season, losing their manager and some key players. They’ve lost all three group games to date and PSG will want to qualify before travelling to play Manchester City.

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