
One of the biggest rivalries of the Premier League era is renewed on Sunday as Arsenal look to keep their faint title hopes alive. For Manchester United, a top half finish is just about within reach, but defeat at Old Trafford this weekend would likely rule that out.
Man United are finding it very difficult to pick up positive results on their own patch. They managed to squeeze past Ipswich at the end of February, in what was just their second home success in seven league matches.
They have since been beaten by Fulham on penalties in the FA Cup in front of the Stretford End. Wayne Rooney was working as a pundit for the game and called Ruben Amorim ‘naive’ in the aftermath of the defeat.
United earned a valuable draw against Real Sociedad in Spain on Thursday. They are favourites to advance to the Europa League quarter-finals when they play the return leg on Thursday.
Arsenal had only scored in one of their previous four matches before they travelled to Eindhoven on Tuesday, but the Gunners were ruthless in front of goal against PSV, hitting seven past the Dutch champions.
The goals were spread throughout the team, with each of the front three that night getting on the scoresheet, including Mikel Merino, who has been deputising as a centre forward in the absence of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Martin Odegaard returned to form, registering two goals and an assist after four games without a goal contribution. Arsenal need their captain to keep that up as they continue their quest for silverware.
Mikel Arteta has had the beating of Man United in recent times, overseeing four consecutive victories over the Red Devils in the Premier League.
They left it late in the first two of those triumphs. Eddie Nketiah found a 90th minute winner in January 2023, while Declan Rice put the Gunners ahead deep into stoppage time in the same fixture eight months later.
United came out on top when the sides met in the FA Cup in January of this year, though. Havertz missed from the spot in the shootout, allowing Joshua Zirkzee to score the clincher.
League fixtures against United have been fruitful for Arsenal recently, with lots of their players getting in on the act.
They are without a recognised striker, but goals may still be on the menu.
Arsenal can carry on where they left off in midweek, and score over 1.5 goals at Old Trafford. Our best bet for this match is an even-money shot.
West Ham and Nottingham Forest managed to shut Arsenal out towards the end of February as the Gunners struggled to adapt to life without their entire first-choice front three, but even their second string attackers should get plenty of joy against a United side that has conceded two or more goals in six of their last seven home league matches.
The Red Devils’ inability to defend set pieces remains a problem. Calvin Bassey profited from a corner as Fulham knocked them out of the FA Cup, and it was also a corner that led to Real Sociedad’s penalty on Thursday night.
Few teams are as well-equipped to exploit that as Arsenal, who scored from two corners in the reverse fixture despite their chief threat Gabriel not being on the pitch.
United’s list of injuries is even more damaging than that of the Gunners and it is difficult to see how they keep Arteta’s men at bay.
Users must be 18+. If you are having trouble with gambling then help and advice can be found at begambleaware.org. Please Play Responsibly.
Trading financial products carries a high risk to your capital, especially trading leverage products such as CFDs. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.