Chelsea v Manchester United kicks off at 4pm on Sunday and is live on Sky Sports 1. There’s only one thing that could make it more exciting: a bet on the match. And there’s only one thing that could top that: a free bet on the game.
So here at A Cunning Punt we recommend you head to William Hill and sign up – if you haven’t already.

Free Chelsea-Man U bets at William Hill
New customers can Get a £25 free bet. Just stake up to £25 (or currency equivalent) on any sporting event – this Saturday’s football, say – quoting free bet code F25, once your initial bet is settled, you’ll get a free bet of the same value credited to your account. So provided your first bet is settled before Sunday, you can bet up to £25 FREE on the Chelsea v Man Utd game. Read more on the William Hill website.

Existing William Hill customers can also get up to £40 in free bets on Chelsea against Man Uthanks to some whopping offers on the Breeders’ Cup. Every race from Saturday’s action at Santa Anita that you stake £10 or more on gets you a £5 free bet of some description on the Chelsea versus Man U game. take £20 or more on the 90-minute result (see here for odds) and you’ll automatically get a free £5 bet on total bookings.

Other football free bets this weekend

• Get £200 in free bets from Bet365
  The daddy of free bet offers from one of the most sophisticated online bookies, especially when it comes to betting on football. Bet up to £50 with your first bet and they’ll match it; then you’ll get another free bet of up to £50 bet after you’ve placed five further bets of at least £5 (note that your free bet will be equal to the value of your smallest bet). Another five bets gets you another free bet – you can get four free bets in total up to the £200.
  
  Ideal for:
  Anyone. Why would you not want to claim four free bets up to £200?
  
  Why choose Bet365?
  Market-leading website with the ultimate in football betting functionality – fast, secure, in-depth and exciting. Get your free bets now.
• Get a £10 free bet from Blue Square
  Open an account with BlueSquare before the Chelsea v Man U game, place a win single bet on the match (on a selection priced at odds of even money or longer) of up to £10 and you’ll automatically get a free bet token of the same value to stake on a market of your choice (providing, again, you choose a selection with odds of evens or greater).

  Ideal for:
  Placing a bet on the match result (ie Chelsea win, draw, Man United win) and getting a free bet on the correct score.

  Why choose Blue Square?
  It’s not the best introductory offer in the world but these guys know their football and consistently offer good odds on a wide range of markets from Chelsea v Man U down to the Conference leagues – which they sponsor. Get your free £10 bet now.

• Claim your £10 free bet when you try Betfair
  Open an account using a promotion code which you can find here. Place a bet of up to £25. If your first bet loses you’ll claim your cash in up to 48 hours.

  Ideal for:
  Laying a team not to win – for example, if you don’t think Man U will beat Chelsea or vice versa you can lay them on the exchanges. If they draw or lose your bet wins. And if they do win, you’ve got this £25 free bet to cover you!

  Why choose Betfair?
  Betfair has revolutionised sports betting and it’s always worth having an account handy when you want to hedge a position you’ve taken with a traditional layer (known as ‘laying off’) or just lay a selection not to win. Sign up for your free bet now.

Make sure you check the T&Cs on all these offers before signing up – some may not refund free bet stakes on winning bets, so make sure you’re aware what returns you’ll get.

Place £20 or more on either the 2009/10 Premier League outright winner or Premier League winner without the ‘Big Four’ and you’ll get a free £5 bet on the season’s top goalscorer.

Hills often have these BOGOF offers nowadays but this is a real one to tempt ante-post punters looking for something to keep them interested all season.

Last season you’ll remember we tipped Man City to win the title without the Big Four – BEFORE the huge injection of cash that came with their takeover. The odds are a bit shorter on them this season!

Chelsea look a good bet at 2/1 to topple Man United, who have struggled in the transfer market and lost a half-decent winger in Cristiano Ronaldo. Where Man City good provide decent value is in their strikers, of whom Robinho looks a good bet at 20/1 to win the Golden Boot.

He’s got plenty of competition at Eastlands, but also plenty of talent and if he can stay interested through the winter he’s sure to be in Mark Hughes’s plans. And with the service available he’ll score goals.

So if you were to put £20 on Chelsea and they win the league it’d return you £60 (including your stake), while your free fiver on Robinho would net £100 (you wouldn’t get your stake back). Worth a punt, surely!

New customers to William Hill will also qualify for the offer of winning up to £100 in free bets. Read more.

The club are 6/5 outsiders at SkyBet to win the tournament outright – which suggests most punters are betting on the wrong horse in my book.

SkyBet also have 11/5 about the draw in 90 minutes – and that looks like a good saver in what is sure to be a tight, cagey contest.

But the momentum is with Chelsea, who put in a fantastic end-of-season run to push Manchester United all the way to the league title. Their efforts included a thrilling 2-1 win over the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge, which featured two goals from Michael Ballack.

Ballack in ominous form
The German midfielder is hitting his best form for years – ominously for both Manchester United and Germany’s opponents at Euro 2008. If Ballack plays at the top of his game in Moscow then United’s defence will have their hands full, and at 14/1 with Bet 365 he looks a cracking bet for first goalscorer.

Of course, the Footballer of the Year will be lining up for United – but unlike Ballack, Cristiano Ronaldo has nothing like the German’s experience in matches of this magnitude. The Portugese winger has one of the biggest talents in world football, but Ashley Cole has kept him in his pocket on previous occasions and I see no reason why he won’t do again.

Wayne Rooney, another player blessed with terrific footballing skills, has been out of sorts for most of this season – whereas Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, Chelsea’s main goal threats, are still bang in form.

Chelsea momentum
Chelsea have now beaten Manchester United twice in key games over the last year or so – the win last month at Chelsea, and in the FA Cup Final of 2007. The pair drew in the Community Shield, and United managed beat the Blues during the farcical saga of Jose Mourinho’s departure in a win that now looks pretty irrelevant.

The resurgent form of Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand’s growing stature in central defence, and Carlos Tevez’s tireless running look to be the biggest reasons for making a case for United. But that just doesn’t stack up against the team assembled by Roman Abramovich – and I’m betting that the Russian billionaire will be smiling as John Terry lifts the European Cup in Moscow on Wednesday night.

Selections
• 5 points Chelsea to lift the European Champions League trophy (6/5, SkyBet)
• 2.5 points draw at 90 minutes (11/5, SkyBet)
• 1 point Michael Ballack to score the first goal (14/1, Bet365)