Arsenal vs Manchester United Tips & Predictions

Neither Arsenal nor Manchester United have had a perfect start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. Mikel Arteta’s men registered two wins in the opening weeks but then came a surprising draw with Fulham at home. As for Man United, the Red Devils had to pull off miracles to beat Wolves and Nottingham Forest, and the 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur was a straightforward embarrassment. 

Next, the two Premier League giants face off at the Emirates on Sunday, September 3 at 4:30 pm local time in the last match before the international break. While Erik ten Hag could be happy with a draw, the Gunners are under more pressure, and we will reflect that in our Arsenal vs Manchester United tips.

Both teams to score? Yes

As we mentioned above, Arsenal and Man United showed signs of weakness in the opening matches, especially at the back. In the three games to date, the teams conceded three and four goals respectively, keeping one clean sheet each. Some of these goals came as results of defensive mistakes – like Bukayo Saka’s misplaced pass vs Fulham or Raphael Varane’s poor positioning vs Spurs.

The attackers on either side have enough class to take advantage of the errors that will certainly arise during the match as the teams yet to find their optimal form. It is likely that both the Gunners and the Red Devils will end up on the scoreboard, as it happened in the previous four games between them. Bet365 give 1.53 odds on this event, which is quite encouraging.

Arsenal win

While this part of our Arsenal vs Manchester United tips may read as risky, Bet365 are rather confident in the Gunners’ chances going into the match and are offering 1.75 odds on their win. 

If we were to compare their performances so far, Arteta’s men definitely look like the better team despite the mishap against Fulham. Also noteworthy, the visitors come into the match with serious squad problems as Mason Mount, Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane, among others, are out with injuries. So, to compensate for those dropped points, a win against an arch rival is exactly what Arsenal need before the international break.

Arsenal have beaten Man United in their last two head-to-head encounters at home, and the last time the Red Devils got a win at the Emirates was back in 2019 in the FA Cup. The London team should look to continue the positive trend.

First card before 25:00

The first 25 minutes at the Emirates will likely look like this: Arsenal will control possession looking for an opening in Man United’s defence while the Red Devils will gladly sit back and try to hit the home side on the counter through the speedy Marcus Rashford and Antony.

Since conceding an early goal may be catastrophic for either team, the players will look to disrupt the potential breakthroughs by any means necessary, including fouls. We saw against Spurs that Man United are happy to earn yellow cards if the opponent pushes high, and the same will be true in this game. So, a card on either side by the 25fth minute is not difficult to envision, with Bet365 giving 1.83 odds on it happening.

Please remember to always gamble responsibly. Our Arsenal vs Manchester United are not a call to action but rather a friendly suggestion, so take them with a pinch of salt and rely on your own judgement first of all.