Opportunity is still knocking for Manchester United, as it's being presented with a glorious chance to claim three points against Arsenal on Sunday. Anything less than a win though, and in all likelihood, the Red Devils can kiss any chance of playing in the Champions League next year goodbye.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester United +194
Arsenal +152
Draw +227
Over/Under 2 (over -143)
ODDS ANALYSIS
You know things are going bad for Man U when it's an underdog at home. That's really rarely the case nowadays, knowing that the Red Devils are still one of the best teams in England, but the rash of injuries and uncertainty around Louis van Gaal are wrecking this club almost as badly as Chelsea was ruined this year.
That said, this isn't a slam dunk for Arsenal, a team which is just +152 to win this game.
Thanks to the lack of offense of late for the Red Devils, the total has been set quite low at 2 and -143 vig on the over.
KEY INJURIES
The list of injuries is just too long right now for Manchester United. We already know that Matteo Darmian, Adnan Januzaj, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Wayne Rooney, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young are all out for a long period of time, and that doesn't even include the fact that Guillermo Varela, William Keane, Marouane Fellani and David De Gea are big time question marks for this one. Van Gaal has enough to worry about without all of the injuries, but with them, the likelihood of him keeping his job is slim to none.
Arsenal's news on the injury front is improving, but the situation still isn't good for Santiago Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere, all of which are still out for at least a couple more weeks.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We have to win a lot of matches of course, it's easily spoken about but doing it is different. But it is possible, and then we'll see. I think in March a lot of players are coming back, and then we'll have a full selection, and with our full selection, we were first in the Premier League." – Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal on his team's health going forward for the run-in
RECENT FORM
Would you believe that Manchester United hasn't won three straight Premier League games since September? That's an unbelievable run for a team which is used to dominating domestically. The Red Devils might've survived against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup last week, but let's not forget that they have to play on Thursday against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, and they need to reverse a 2-1 loss on Danish soil if they want to keep their hopes alive of getting back to the Champions League next year.
The Gunners only have three wins in their last nine matches across all competitions, and that isn't going to cut it here down the stretch. The good news? Its last EPL match was a doozy, a 2-1 win over Leicester City at home in a match which might've ended up saving any chances of winning the league title.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Arsenal might not be in great form, but we think the sight of a wounded Manchester United team is going to set it on the right track. The Red Devils really tried their best against both Midtjylland and Shrewsbury last week, and they didn't look great in either performance. Without Rooney in the fold, the offense has just been completely drab, and if De Gea can't play in this one, it's believable that there could be issues in the pipes as well.
Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud should have a nice day up front against a beaten up Manchester United back four, and that could end up being the difference on the road at Old Trafford.
Arsenal 2, Manchester United 0
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