Arsenal vs. Manchester United Preview, Prediction, Odds

The two powerhouses of English football, that are currently struggling to reach their respective positions from the start of this century, are meeting on the first day of the New Year. Arsenal is playing below any expectations, while United showed some signs of life recently.

Preview

Mikael Arteta didn’t start his tenure at Arsenal very well. After a draw against Bournemouth on the road, his Gunners managed to lose at home to Chelsea, although they had a lead until the 83rd minute of the match. The team is without a win in five straight games and has just one in the previous 13. When talking about efficiency, whenever they play, goals are guaranteed. In 8 of the last 10 games ended with over 2.5 goals, and the same applies to both teams to score.

Manchester had a shaky period, but in general, we can’t say that they weren’t playing well recently. Apart from the loss against Watford on the road, Solskjaer’s crew recorded six wins and two draws in the last nine matches. That moved them to the fifth place in the standings with four points fewer than Chelsea who is in the spot which leads to the Champions League.

Head to head games

The first leg this season, played at the Old Trafford, ended with a draw, 1-1. The latest match at Emirates finished with the Gunners winning that clash, 2-0. Throughout history, the Red Devils have more success, with 99 wins, while Arsenal has 83. Meanwhile, 49 matches didn’t have a winner.

Prediction

The morale in Arsenal’s locker room has hit rock bottom. On the other side, it seems that although United is still inconsistent, they are going upwards. Solskajer is a cautious manager, and he won’t be rushing to take down Arsenal early on but will prefer to wait for the Gunners’ mistake, which will come eventually. There won’t be too many goals in this event, but be sure that there will be some. Because of that, a moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals, is the best choice here, with the odds at +105 right now.