Manchester United travel to the Emirates to take on Arsenal on Sunday evening aiming to put a shaky start to the campaign behind them and demonstrate that they can be genuine contenders for the Premier League title this season. Betking, Nigeria’s best online sports betting platform, gives you a chance of being a part of the action by taking advantage of the high odds being offered to improve your chances of winning millions. Without wasting too much time, the preview.
Arsenal The Gunners missed out on the Premier League title last season despite topping the table for 248 days. In the history of English top-flight football, no team has led the league for that long without going on to win the title. Mikel Arteta’s men will be hoping to use that disappointment to fuel another title charge this season and what better way to send out a message than a statement home win against a title rival? Arsenal will be desperate for a victory in front of their home fans. Form Guide: The Gunners have started the season unbeaten in their first three games. However, there has been nothing to stoke the imagination in any of their performances. They began their campaign with a low-key 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, seemingly going to sleep after taking a 2-0 lead and held on for a hard-fought 1-0 win against Crystal Palace, despite playing for 10 men for half an hour. The last game against Fulham was more concerning, a 2-2 draw that raised more questions than answers. A look at the numbers when Arsenal have played at home in the past six home PL games will be concerning for Gooners; dating back to last season, Arsenal’s record stands at 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, with 15 goals and 10 conceded. This shows a defensive vulnerability at the Emirates that Arteta will need to address as soon as possible.
Possible Arsenal goalscorers Arsenal have several players that can hurt Manchester United, especially at the Emirates. Bukayo Saka, who was recently named the PFA Young Player of The Year, has carried on his excellent form from last season into the new campaign. Saka scored 14 goals and contributed 11 assists last season and has started the new season with 2 goals in 3 games. In the 2022/2023 season, 11 0f his 14 PL goals came at the Emirates and he scored in both games against Manchester United last season. Backing the 21-year-old to score again represents good value for money, especially since he’s back on penalties.
Martin Odegaard is another who has taken up the goalscoring burden for Arteta’s side. The Norwegian scored 15 goals last season and has already opened his account for this campaign. If the United defense finds it necessary to throw more bodies at Saka to slow him down, expect Odegaard to revel in the extra space such a move would afford him.
Manchester United Manchester United finished third last season in what was largely seen as a successful season, considering the misery that had engulfed Old Trafford before the arrival of Erik ten Hag. However, the fairytale feeling appears to have given way to pessimism after a shaky start to the season. Form Guide: Although the Red Devils have picked up six points from their opening three games, their performances have been unconvincing. Erik ten Hag’s men were fortunate to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in their opening game before slipping to a poor 2-0 defeat to a resurgent Tottenham Hotspur the following weekend. To further highlight their struggles, they were two goals down inside four minutes at home to Nottingham Forest last weekend but battled back to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory. There’s a gaping hole in United’s midfield with the 32-year-old Casemiro tasked with covering acres of space single-handedly. If he struggled against Wolves, Spurs and Nottingham Forest, you can expect him to struggle against Arsenal if he’s left to stem the tide alone. Factor in the injuries to Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane and you have a defence that would surely struggle. Our bet of the day is for Arsenal to score at least 2 goals.
Manchester United possible goalscorers With new signing Rasmus Højlund still out with a back injury, The Red Devils’ main scoring threat is Marcus Rashford. Despite a shaky start to the season, it would be foolish to bet against him opening his account at the Emirates, especially with his record against the home side. Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions for United last season, with 17 coming in the league, and 3 of those goals were scored against Arsenal. On his day, there is really no way to stop him from wreaking havoc on an Arsenal defence that is yet to show the resolve they displayed for large parts of the 2022-2023 season. Rashford also finished in the top 4 for shots taken in the PL last season, with 108 and his ability to shoot at goal on a frequent basis increases the likelihood of him finding the net. We believe Marcus Rashford will score against Arsenal and what do you know? Betking has provided the best odds available.
Another likely goal scorer for Manchester United is Bruno Fernandes. The newly installed captain is always right in the heat of the action, either scoring or assisting. Fernandes created the most chances in the league last season (119) while also scoring 8 goals and providing 8 assists. A major plus for this market is that Fernandes is on penalty duty for the Red Devils. After scoring from the spot against Nottingham Forest in gameweek 2, the Portugues schemer could be asked to step up again, especially if the Arsenal defence is not at the races again.
Arsenal vs Manchester Utd | Head-to-head record - 22 Jan 2023 – Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd – Premier League - 04 Sep 2022 – Man Utd 3-1 Arsenal – Premier League - 23 Apr 2022 – Arsenal 3-1 Man Utd – Premier League - 02 Dec 2021 – Man Utd 3-2 Arsenal – Premier League - 30 Jan 2021 – Arsenal 0-0 Man Utd – Premier League This one is evenly split between both sides with 2 wins each and 1 draw. In addition to that, Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five Premier League home games against Man Utd (four wins and one draw). Top 5 Betting facts for Arsenal vs Manchester United - There have been over 2.5 goals in 12 of Arsenal’s last 13 home matches across all competitions. - Arsenal have scored a goal in 26 of the last 27 matches across all competitions. - Manchester United have scored in 13 of the last 15 matches across all competitions. - There have been under 3.5 goals in 9 of the last 11 Manchester United away matches. - Manchester United have conceded in 7 of the last 8 matches.
Cards Market Given that there's little love lost between these two familiar foes, you can also dip into the player card market and back Aaron Wan-Bissaka to be booked. The United right-back has already been cautioned twice this term and he could tackle his way into trouble again here, especially since he is going to be tasked with containing Arsenal livewire Gabriel Martinelli. There have been over 3.5 yellow cards in 6 of the last 8 meetings between these two sides as it is always a feisty affair. Considering the new FA refereeing rules clamping down on dissent, time wasting and indiscipline, backing over 3.5 yellows is value for money and one of our best betting tips to bank on.
Conclusion When these two teams meet, goals are an almost-certain guarantee, and we expect that trend to continue this weekend. Despite Mikel Areta’s impressive array of attacking talent, keeping clean sheets remains an issue, with the Gunners failing to keep both Nottingham Forest and Fulham at bay in their first two home fixtures of the season. In fact, Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet in 17 of the last 21 top-flight games at the Emirates. That doesn’t augur well ahead of a visit from a team like Manchester United. However, the Red Devils’ defensive deficiencies have also been apparent during the early weeks of the season, with Erik ten Hag’s team conceding two goals in each of their last two games. It’s also worth noting that United's injury list has expanded to include defensive mainstays Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane, so it will be a makeshift rearguard setup against one the league’s deadliest attacks.
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