Manchester United vs Wrexham Picks and Predictions: Underdogs Do Damage in San Diego

Tuesday sees Manchester United vs. Wrexham, a match that seemed like an unlikely fixture before the takeover from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham are still some way below United in the English football pyramid but this San Diego crowd will be able to see them face one another in preseason action.

We’re expecting United to play without their star players, giving Wrexham every chance for what would be a famous win, but can they manage it? Don’t miss our Manchester United vs. Wrexham free betting picks below to find out.

Manchester United vs Wrexham best odds

Manchester United		Wrexham
-110	Moneyline	+190
+300	Draw	+300
Over 2.5 (-225)	Total	Under 2.5 (+170)

Odds courtesy of bet365 on July 24, 2023.

Manchester United vs Wrexham picks and predictions

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed the takeover of Wrexham, they had a grand ambition that one day they could be in the Premier League and face teams of the quality and renown of Manchester United.

Now here, ahead of schedule, they face a Manchester United XI team. Sure, it is a preseason game but that won’t matter to the clubs' fans, whether they’re Welsh natives who have traveled to San Diego or locals watching the team for the first time.

One thing that needs to be highlighted immediately is the wording around this game with this being Manchester United XI and not technically the first team. That wording is important and indicates that we’re likely to see a team that is largely made up of academy products and youngsters. That wording is also why a number of big sportsbooks haven’t priced up the game, such are the question marks around exactly what team we’ll see.

That brings us quickly to our best bet for this game which is for Wrexham to win the first half, something you can grab at a juicy +240 price. If this were a full-strength United team, even for a friendly, I'd go nowhere near this bet, but given the lineup we’re likely to see, I think it offers a nice price.

The most important thing is that Phil Parkinson will select a full-strength Wrexham team, meaning that we’re going to see the likes of Paul Mullin. The striker who played such a huge part in their promotion to the football league scored against LA Galaxy II on Saturday and will hope to bag again.

There’ll be a host of unknown names within the United team, although experienced central defender Jonny Evans will play. Alongside him, we’re likely to see the likes of Radek Vitek, Alvaro Fernandez, Dan Fore Omari Forson, Hannibal, and Marc Jurado play. There’s also a slim chance we might see some lesser names from the first team play some minutes but it’s unlikely. 

Given this will be a young United team playing, it gives Wrexham a huge chance to win and claim a famous scalp ahead of the new season. This is still a United team that, despite it being a preseason game, will be very keen to get the win and make a statement. 

With that in mind, I think we’re going to see Wrexham start hard and aggressively and really take the game to United. There’s a really good chance we could see them score early and take a lead over into half-time and +240 feels like a very good price for them to do that.

My best bet: Wrexham to win the first half (+240 at bet365)

Manchester United vs Wrexham same-game parlay

Wrexham to win the first half (+240)

Half-time score: Wrexham 1-0 (+500)

Under 2.5 (+170)

+1,200 at bet365

We don’t have many markets available for our same-game parlay because of the uncertainty around the Man United lineup. With that said, we'll start with our best bet of Wrexham to be winning at half-time.

Next up, we’ll predict the actual score at halftime and I’m going for Wrexham 1-0. I can see the Dragons starting fast and scoring early but I can’t see them scoring multiple goals and I think a United academy team could struggle against the physicality of a League Two team.

Then to wrap it up, we’re backing Under 2.5 goals on the total. We know this Wrexham team isn’t full of top-quality players and although they'll find the back of the net, I can’t see many of them being scored.

I also can’t see a United academy team with the likes of Shola Shoretire up front troubling Wrexham much.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Manchester United vs Wrexham spread and Over/Under analysis

When it comes to the moneyline, I’d probably lean toward backing the draw at +300 or Wrexham at +190 given the size of the odds. Backing United to win at -110 doesn’t seem like a great price considering we believe the lineup will largely be made up of academy players.

The total of 2.5 goals has strong juice to the Over (-225) and I think the Under at +170 is a far smarter wager. 

After all, this is a United team that lacks top-quality finishers and attacking players that will struggle to test the League Two defense. The likes of Paul Mullin scored a lot of goals in non-league in England but this United defense will still be fairly good given it has multiple Premier League winner Jonny Evans at the heart of it.

Manchester United vs Wrexham game info

Manchester United vs Wrexham key injuries

Manchester United: No key injuries to report.
Wrexham: No key injuries to report.

Manchester United vs Wrexham weather

Temperatures will be in the mid-70s at the time of kick-off.

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