English Premier
2024-12-04 - Arsenal vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Wednesday 4th December 2024 - Kick Off 8:15pm
This game is live on TV
Arsenal
The early dropped points in the Premier League were tough to take, but Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team look to be healthier now and have built some real momentum after the November international break. The focus has to be on continuing to win games and hope Liverpool's form dips and this is a big week for Arsenal with a couple of tough looking fixtures to negotiate.
They have moved up into 2nd place in the Premier League table after the thumping win at the London Stadium on Saturday, but Arsenal remain 9 points behind leaders Liverpool who won on Sunday. The Gunners have a 4-2-0 record at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League this season and have scored 15 goals and conceded 6 in those matches.
Arsenal had won just 2 of their 7 games played in all competitions before the November international break, but have returned with three impressive wins over Nottingham Forest, Sporting and West Ham United. The win over Nottingham Forest means Arsenal have won 6 of their last 7 at the Emirates Stadium in all competitions with the exception being a 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
Gabriel, Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino are going to need to pass late fitness tests if they are to be involved on Wednesday. The manager has stated that Bukayo Saka will be fit to play.
Manchester United
The Ruben Amorim era has really gotten underway after wins in the Europa League and Premier League, but the manager is urging the fans to be patient with the expected time it will take for his process to be understood fully by the squad. In reality the next ten games are likely going to show Amorim how much work he has to do with Manchester United facing some huge League and Cup games and with many of them being played away from Old Trafford.
That will be the focus ahead, but it was encouraging to see Manchester United score plenty of goals against Bodo/Glimt and Everton as they moved up into 9th place in the Premier League table. Upsetting the odds and winning in North London will certainly reignite the push for a top four place, but that also means improving the disappointing 1-3-2 away record in the top flight.
Manchester United are now unbeaten in 7 games in all competitions since Sacking Erik ten Hag and they have won 5 of those, although the fixture list had been relatively kind too. The majority of those games have been played at Old Trafford and Manchester United have failed to win any of 6 away games in all competitions, although 5 have ended in draws.
Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo are both suspended, while Leny Yoro and Jonny Evans are unlikely to be risked. Victor Lindelof is another expected to miss out, while the manager has chosen to rotate his first eleven in each of the three games in charge.
Head to Head
Arsenal completed the Premier League double over Manchester United last season and for the first time since 2006/07.
Games at Old Trafford have been more troubling for Arsenal who have beaten Manchester United in 5 of the last 6 at the Emirates Stadium, including the last 3 in a row.
Prediction
The FA Cup Third Round draw was made on Monday evening and it means this is the first of two games that Arsenal will be hosting against Manchester United in the space of six weeks.
Mikel Arteta may openly admit that the Premier League fixture is more important to Arsenal than the FA Cup as he prepares to face Ruben Amorim for the first time since being upset by Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League.
Since that loss, it can be argued that Arsenal have developed pretty impressively and this is a team that has to be considered a contender to win the biggest prizes. They have yet to show they can get over the line and there is a considerable gap to bridge to Premier League leaders Liverpool, but Arsenal have looked confident since the November international break with Martin Odegaard back to stitch things together.
The goals are flowing and Arsenal are playing with confidence, which is going to test the belief of this Manchester United team.
Fans are encouraged by the early signs under Ruben Amorim, but the manager is much more cautious when it comes to assessing results alone. As Ruben Amorim said, the performances are actually more important right now as the squad begins to understand what is expected from them, while the new manager is also spreading plenty of minutes around.
Losing Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo for this game is a blow, but it is also a big opportunity for Amorim to really assess his squad and which players he will want to trust going forward. Plenty of big games are to be played by Manchester United starting with this one and ending with a visit back to the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup Third Round and performances may still be a touch erratic.
Manchester United played well enough against Bodo/Glimt and Everton, but were second best at Portman Road.
And without a doubt, Arsenal represent a big step up from the level of opponent that Manchester United have faced so far under their new manager and since Erik ten Hag was Sacked. The home team have regularly gotten the better of Manchester United at this ground in recent years and have tended to score plenty of goals against them, and the feeling is that it is going to be a challenging evening for the Manchester United players again.
On current form, Arsenal may be able to exert their qualities and understanding of what their manager wants on this fixture and it may end up being a harsh lesson for Ruben Amorim and his team about the gap that will need to be filled in the weeks and months ahead compared with the elite English clubs.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Arsenal to Win & Over 1 Total Goal (Bet Builder) at 1.61 with Bet365 (early payout if a team is leading by two goals)
