For the first time since the MLS All-Star Game switched its format over to the local All-Stars taking on a visiting club team from Europe, Arsenal will be the ones taking on the MLS All-Stars. Arsenal is the seventh English side to face the best the MLS has to offer and will look to be only the second English side to beat the MLS players in their own All-Star Game.
MLS Odds at BookMaker.eu
MLS All-Stars N/A
Arsenal N/A
Draw NA
Over/Under N/A
ODDS ANALYSIS
All-Star Games are tricky affairs to line and it’s hard to determine which way the line should go. A visiting international club usually doesn’t play its best or most competitive team in a friendly and the question is who Arsenal will bring to this one. Manager Arsene Wenger already announced that strikers Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez won’t play due to long continental tournaments this summer, as well as German midfielder Mezut Ozil. Most of the rest of the team looks to be intact other than those starters, but who is in the starting eleven is another matter.
The MLS All-Stars usually feel a chip on their shoulder in this one and although they only team up for this one event, they take it more seriously than the European clubs do. The fans get to pick some of the roster and that can lead to some players that are past their prime playing in this game for the US side as well.
KEY PLAYERS
There are familiar names scattered throughout the lineup for the MLS side, and although few starters are known at this point, it’s safe to assume that Clint Dempsey will be one of them. Dempsey is just behind Landon Donovan for the most goals all-time for the US national team and although he hasn’t had a great season in Seattle, he is one of the most talented players the MLS has.
Darlington Nagbe should also get some run as an attacking midfielder and he is showing that he is one of America’s hopes for the future. He didn’t find much playing time in the Copa America Centenario, but Nagbe has an ability to make things happen in the opposing team’s half that create opportunities for his teammates.
Granit Xhaka should get a starting nod as Arsenal starts taking its first looks at its offseason signing. Xhaka wasn’t great at the European Championships, but has shown flashes of brilliance for both Basel and Borussia Monchengladbach in club play and has been compared to Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The other Arsenal player to keep an eye on will be Theo Walcott. Walcott is the one forward that gets playing time with the first team and he will likely be tasked with creating goal scoring opportunities for the Gunners in this one. Even though he has fallen out of favor somewhat, he is still a talented forward and could shine here.
LIVE BETTING
As difficult as All-Star games are to line, they are even more difficult to live bet. The best strategy here is just to watch early on and see how seriously each side takes the match. The European clubs typically ease off in these games so as not to have someone injured before the start of the domestic leagues, so that’s something to keep an eye on.
QUICK PICK
There should be more than a handful of goals in this game and plenty of opportunities to score. Look for Arsenal to take the match more seriously early on, but let up as the game progresses and allow the MLS All-Stars to get a win.
MLS Odds: MLS All-Stars 4, Arsenal 2
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