Arsenal vs Man United Prediction: Tightly-fought contest expected in California
Premier League titans Arsenal and Manchester United will go head-to-head in a glamour friendly at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in the early hours of Sunday morning (01:00), as both sides continue their preparations for the upcoming season.
Arsenal will face Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 17 to commence the new campaign, while United’s season starts with a Community Shield clash with bitter rivals Manchester City a week prior. Read on for my Arsenal vs Man United prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.
Arsenal’s first match of their tour of the USA saw them beat Bournemouth on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate in 90 minutes.
It’ll be fascinating to see how Mikel Arteta’s side fare this season after finishing runners-up to the juggernaut that is Manchester City over the past two seasons. The Spaniard will want the preparation to be perfect heading into the new campaign, as they attempt to get third time lucky and secure their first league title since 2004.
United, meanwhile, have already played twice this summer, losing to Rosenborg in Norway on July 15, before enjoying a 2-0 victory over Rangers at Murrayfield Stadium last Saturday.
Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro are the only two names to come through the door at Old Trafford so far, but it’s anticipated that the Red Devils will be active in the transfer market over the next few weeks.
Team News
The likes of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, and William Saliba are absent for the Gunners due to their involvement in the latter stages of Euro 2024.
However, Gabriel, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have been included in Arsenal’s pre-season squad, so there’s a chance they could start here. Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss out due to injuries but Martin Odegaard, Jorginho and Ben White should make the first XI.
As for United, new signing Yoro made his debut in the 2-0 win over Rangers last time out, and is expected to retain his place in defence here. Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund have made the trip to the USA despite their involvement in Euro 2024, however, Tyrell Malacia remains on the injury list.
Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez haven’t been included in Erik ten Hag’s pre-season squad due to their international commitments, but other big names such as Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Mason Mount are set to feature.
Arsenal are slight favourites at 5/4 – or a theoretical chance of 44.4% – with United 6/4 to win, and the draw is 11/4, all 90 minutes only.
Both teams to score is odds-on at 4/11, while it’s 4/1 for the Gunners to keep a clean sheet and 9/2 for United to keep Arteta’s side out.
Draw @ 11/4
Both sides have relatively strong squads at their disposal despite the number of players involved at Euro 2024.
Arenal triumphed in both Premier League meetings between the duo last season, the most recent of which was a narrow 1-0 at Old Trafford towards the tail end of the campaign.
In fact, Arteta’s men have come out on top in four of the last five contests between the pair, including each of the last three and United will be seeking to stop the rot here. Ten Hag’s side got their summer tour of the USA up and running with a 2-0 win over the Gunners last year, and will be hoping for a repeat of that scoreline this weekend.
However, it’s always difficult to predict the outcome of these glamour friendlies, especially in unfamiliar territory. I think it’ll be a close encounter, with more emphasis on fitness than the result, and the spoils will be shared come the end of 90 minutes.
Under 2.5 goals @ 2/1
Following on from my first tip, I don’t believe we’re in for a goal-fest on Sunday morning.
Arsenal managed just one goal in their tie against Bournemouth, and United have only mustered two strikes in as many games in their pre-season preparations so far.
Although some big names will be on show at the SoFi Stadium, it can take players a few weeks to get up to scratch with fitness and sharpness, so I’m backing under 2.5 goals to land.
Offers
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