Man Utd vs Arsenal Preview

We finally got back to winning ways thanks to Man Utd’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea. The Red Devils are in the spotlight again in midweek as they host Arteta’s Arsenal at Old Trafford. United are the 11/10 favs on the exchange and Arsenal are a rather generous looking 29/10. The draw can be backed at 14/5 on the machine. Carrick remains at the wheel for Utd, can he get another good result? Or will Arteta’s young guns come out firing and take the win? Dave Stevos reckons it could be a long night for the neutrals. Check out our Man Utd vs Arsenal preview below.

Man Utd

Ralf Rangnick is awaiting a work permit so Carrick remains in charge for this game. The caretaker has secured a couple of good results since taking the reins. However, his team was far from convincing in both matches. At the weekend Carrick parked the bus at Stamford Bridge and it almost worked to perfection. A rejuvenated Jadon Sancho capitalised on a rare Jorginho error to put Utd 1-0 up and only for a calamitous challenge from Wan Bissaka, they may well have taken all three points.

The big talking point afterwards was the decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench. Utd played a flat back four, three holding midfielders and a ‘front three’ of Rashford, Bruno and Sancho. In truth, for most of the match it was more like a 4-6-0 with Bruno fleetingly getting forward to make it a 4-5-1. The plan was to get out of London with a 0-0 draw. Thanks to Jorginho’s error, they almost pulled off one of the biggest robberies of all time.

Will Utd show more ambition at Old Trafford on Thursday? You’d imagine they’ll have to because the home fans won’t put up with such a negative approach against Arsenal. The question is whether Carrick will restore Maguire and Ronaldo to the team. Maguire has been dreadful all season and they looked a lesser side when CR7 was introduced on Sunday. Against Arsenal’s younger legs, Utd can’t afford to have any passengers when out of possession. If Rangnick picks the team, it’s unlikely Ronaldo will feature from the outset. If he does start, you’d have to fancy Arsenal’s chances.

Arsenal

The Gunners are in a strange place right now. They come into the game on the back of a morale boosting 2-0 win vs Newcastle but they were previously humbled by Liverpool at Anfield in a one sided 4-0 defeat. That is their only Premier League loss in 10 games but it was a crushing one and it showed that they are still some way off challenging the elite teams. However, they are now beating the teams they should be beating on paper and that has to be viewed as progress.

Youngsters Smith-Rowe and Saka have been pivotal figures during Arsenal’s excellent run. Tavares and Tomiyasu have also excelled and the fact that Tierney can’t get into the team says a lot. Aubameyang’s form has also improved and the energy of Lokonga and Partey in the engine room has been important too. Ramsdale has pulled off some amazing saves and he is proving to be a shrewd addition.

The Gunners boast a fine record against Man Utd in the last couple of seasons. They are unbeaten in their last six against them in the Premier League and they’ve only conceded one goal against Utd in the last four meetings. Arteta will be hoping that Saka is fit as he is carrying an injury while he will definitely be without Xhaka and Kolasinac. Saka would be a big loss but even without him, Arsenal will be thinking that they can come away from Old Trafford with at least a point.

Man Utd vs Arsenal Possible Lineups

Man Utd: De Gea, Telles, Bailly, Lindelof, Wan Bissaka, Fred, McTominay, Matic, Sancho, Rashford, Fernandes.

Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tavares, Gabriel, White, Tomiyasu, Partey, Lokonga, Odegaard, Smith-Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang.

Man Utd vs Arsenal Betting Tip

Given the recent form of these two teams, it is surprising to see Arsenal priced up at as big as 29/10. Arteta’s side have been in much better shape and bar that defeat v Liverpool, they have been improving all the time. Utd, on the other hand, are still fragile after their run of heavy defeats and they will be wary of opening up too much in case Arsenal slice them open.

Carrick is most likely to play a similar system to the one deployed at Stamford Bridge, albeit with a little bit more ambition. He’ll probably go with the same three holding midfielders with Bruno through the middle and Rashford and Sancho out wide. In last season’s clash between Utd and Arsenal at Old Trafford only a penalty separated the sides in a dour affair. The match between them at the Emirates finished 0-0. Unfortunately, this could be another stinker and at the prices, no goalscorer makes most appeal at odds of 12/1.

Man Utd vs Arsenal Betting Tips: No Goalscorer @ 12/1

-DaveStevos