Arsenal v Manchester United Betting Tips: Tie of the FA Cup Third Round!

Arsenal entertain cup holders Manchester United at The Emirates this weekend in arguably the tie of the 3rd round. No other team has won this competition more than Arsenal whose 14 FA Cups is 1 more than United. Both sides have contributed to some of the most memorable moments in the competition.

Mikel Arteta’s team will be looking to respond and bounce back from the 2-0 home defeat suffered at the hands of Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek. That was their 1st loss on home soil this season and since last April.

For United, the cup presents a welcome distraction from the Premier League, where their form has been abject, to say the least. A well-earned and valuable point away to Liverpool last time out doesn’t hide the fact it merely halted a run of 4 straight defeats in all competitions.

Unsurprisingly, it has been a tough start to life as head coach for Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese winning only 2 of his 9 PL matches since taking the reins at Old Trafford. This fixture is actually the 16th FA Cup tie between The Gunners and The Red Devils and that makes it the second-most played match in the competition’s history.

History and tradition

Given both teams’ illustrious successes in the FA Cup, the clash of these two arch-rivals is always eagerly anticipated. Holders United face a tough first hurdle as they look to defend their crown while Arsenal last lifted the trophy in 2020, just a few months after Arteta had taken charge.

The Gunners have had the edge in recent meetings in the league, winning 5 of the last 6 and each of the last 4 consecutive fixtures against the struggling United. United’s last victory against Arsenal at The Emirates came the last time these two met in the FA Cup- a 3-1 win back in January 2019.

Reaction test for Arsenal

After defeat to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle in the first leg of the League Cup on Tuesday night, Arteta will be looking for a positive response from his men when Amorim’s inconsistent outfit turn up to North London.

The loss was the first time The Gunners have tasted defeat in any competition since losing 1-0 to Inter Milan back in early November. Moreover, it was only the 2nd time they have failed to find the back of the net at The Emirates all season.

Prior to the League Cup loss, The Gunners had kept 5 clean sheets out of 6 at home in all competitions, showing their defensive solidity and resolve which Arteta has built his side on.

Can inconsistent United raise their game for the big occasion once more?

United have proven under Amorim that they can raise their game for the big teams, after a victory away at Manchester City and a draw at Anfield in recent matches.

This is a trait I don’t particularly like in a team, but it does mean Arteta will know his team can’t take anything for granted with this inconsistent Man United side.

Jekyll or Hyde? Which United will turn up?

For anyone connected with The Red Devils, particularly the last few seasons, it must be a real concern just how inconsistent their side has been. Sandwiched between the point on the road at Liverpool and the last win at their city rivals were 4 straight defeats, in which they failed to score in 3 of these and conceded an alarming 11 times.

United are without a clean sheet since December 1st and have only kept 1 in 12 games since Amorim was appointed. However, despite that, they have shown they can mix it with the best of them.

This is what United fans will be clinging to when they face off at The Emirates on Sunday, as they look to avenge the 2-0 defeat to The Gunners only last month.

How will this one play out?

When it comes to the tactical set-up for each side, I envisage Arsenal going with their predominant attacking 4-3-3 formation which has served them so well under Arteta. The full-backs support the wide players, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, at every opportunity.

As for United, I expect Amorim to stick with the 3-4-2-1 set-up he tends to play with, to flood the midfield and try and prevent Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice from pulling the strings. He’ll be confident of his team posing an attacking threat on the counter as they have shown in similar matches on their travels since his arrival.

BTTS at 4/5 with bet365 is appealing

This tactical battle is what is guiding me when looking at betting options for this showdown at The Emirates. Despite their strong defence, in particular at The Emirates where The Gunners have only conceded 6 times in 9 PL fixtures, I actually still feel United will score.

As The Red Devils showed against Liverpool, who had only let in 6 goals at Anfield in the PL before United struck twice, Amorim’s tactics worked a treat. With the pace of Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho (two of United’s most gifted players), I definitely see them causing the Arsenal defence a few issues.

bet365 are offering the best odds of 4/5 on both sides finding the net and that makes a fair amount of appeal as both teams will look to win it in 90 minutes and possess a wealth of attacking players.

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Arsenal set-piece markets cannot be ignored

Another market which can’t be ignored for me is Arsenal to have more corners in the match. The Gunners are the set-piece kings this season, with no other side scoring more times from corners or free-kicks.

Given the control and dominance of the ball I see Arteta’s team having, I definitely feel the pressure will be ramped up on the United rearguard. Especially as The Gunners like to whip crosses in from the wings and ask questions of opposition defences.

Arsenal to have more corners at 7/20 with Unibet should feature in your BetBuilder

Arsenal have had the least amount of corners given against them and have also had more corners than their opponents in all but 1 of their 9 home PL matches this season. Furthermore, in the 2-0 victory against United last month, Arteta’s side had 13 corners to United’s 0.

So the best price of 7/20 with Unibet could, and probably should feature, in any BetBuilders you may be having.

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My first tip: Draw at 14/5 with BetMGM UK

The first of my tips for this monster bout between these two FA Cup giants is for the game to go the distance and finish a draw, best priced at 14/5 again with BetMGM UK.

For reasons previously mentioned, I feel United are more than capable of pushing Arsenal all the way even with their up-and-down results this term. Moreover, they have shown they can both score against and match any of the big teams on their own patch.

The fact this is United’s last domestic chance of silverware this campaign does make me think it could play a part psychologically and they will go the extra mile to get a result to take it at least to extra time in this one.

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Second tip: Over 25.5 total shots at 4/5 with bet365

The second tip comes in the Total Match Shots market and given the knock-out nature of the game and recent stats produced by both teams there is reason to believe that there will be over 25.5 shots in the match.

Arsenal’s last game against Newcastle (also a cup match) saw 30 shots, while United’s game at Liverpool saw 32. These are comparable games for both teams and the 4/5 with bet365 looks too big. As a much smaller play, I’ll also back the over 29.5 shots at 5/2.

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Arsenal vs Man United Best Bet

• Market: Match Result/1x2
• Selection: Draw
• Odds: 14/5
• Stake: 1pt
• Bookie: BetMGM UK

• Market: Match Total Shots
• Selection: Over 25.5
• Odds: 4/5
• Stake: 1pt
• Bookie: bet365

• Market: Match Total Shots
• Selection: Over 29.5
• Odds: 5/2
• Stake: 0.25pt
• Bookie: bet365

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