Manchester United vs Arsenal
This used to be THE match in the Premier League.
The two dominant clubs and two rival managers who shared an antipathy for one another which often hid the mutual respect, their matches were often the stuff of legend.
Long before Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, Arsenal had fallen off the radar. But now, like the Gunners, United are on the slide too and in need of a boost to their season.
With Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and the yet-to-convince Paul Pogba unlikely to feature in this one – and Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez foolishly allowed to leave (the latter on loan) – has Ole Gunnar Solskjaer even got the quality at his disposal for a club of United’s stature?
This match – the contest which has brought us Premier League 2019 highlights galore over the years – will probably answer that question and more
It’s Manchester United vs Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Talking Points
United are off the back of their most recent two unconvincing displays, the latest against West Ham which was quickly followed by near-embarrassment by League Two Rochdale in the League Cup.
Arsenal, in contrast, have bounced back well from throwing away a two-goal lead at Watford when they were savaged by media and former players alike.
They showed character to twice come back with 10 men to see off Aston Villa last weekend and were then too strong for Nottingham Forest in the League Cup.
While manager Unai Emery was announcing Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka as club captain after winning a vote held by the squad, Solskjaer was again facing questions about his own suitability for the role.
Since the 4-0 win over Chelsea on the opening day, United have scored only four league goals in five games and, since the Norwegian was made permanent manager at the end of March, they have 17 goals in 18 matches in all competitions.
Combine this with some insipid displays and a perfect storm for criticism has been created.
Chances are Arsenal won’t have a better chance to record their first league win at United in over 13 years.
Should they achieve that it would give them an early six-point cushion over their rivals in the race for Champions League football?
On the flip side, Arsenal are without a win in their last 12 top-flight away games at United and have won just three of 27 Premier League matches at Old Trafford.
All three of those victories were by a 1-0 scoreline and Solskjaer played for the Red Devils in all three of those defeats.
He also played in some famous wins against the Gunners.
What happens next is anyone’s guess.
History
What a history these two storied sides have!
Last season they met three times. The corresponding fixture ended 2-2 when Arsenal twice led through Shkodran Mustafi and an own goal only to be pegged back on both occasions quickly through Martial and Jesse Lingard goals.
They met it he FA Cup fourth round at the Emirates where goals from Sanchez, Lingard and Martial sealed an impressive 3-1 United win.
Arsenal gained some revenge two months later with a 2-0 home league win, courtesy of Xhaka and a very dubiously awarded Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang penalty.
Go back two seasons and Jose Mourinho’s United did the double over Arsenal.
An Antonio Valencia goal and a Lingard double – I didn’t realise how good his record is against Arsenal – secured a 3-1 triumph in a match in which goalkeeper David De Gea shone.
A last-gasp Marouane Fellaini header settled the return fixture after Pogba and former United man Henrikh Mkhitaryan traded goals.
The two clubs have faced each other 231 times in total. United have won 97 to Arsenal’s 83and 51 matches have ended in a draw.
Betting Tip
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Manchester United vs Arsenal | Over 2.75 Goals @ 1.95 |
| October 01, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
The SBOBET Premier League 2019 betting odds still make United slight favourites, perhaps given the Gunners’ less than favourable record at Old Trafford.
You can get odds on the hosts 1X2 @ 2.42 and with Asian Handicap betting United -0.50 @ 2.42.
Arsenal are not far behind, 1X2 @ 2.90 and Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.16.
The draw, perhaps a wise but unadventurous tip, is available @ 3.20.
As for this meeting last December, a repeat – correct score 2-2 – is priced @ 11.00.
With both sides yet to convince, perhaps we should expect few goals or perhaps plenty of them.
The options available include over 3.00 goals @ 2.17, total goal 0-1 @ 4.40, total goal 2-3 @ 2.04 and 4-6 @ 2.93.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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