Old rivals will meet in the middle of the week when Manchester United host Arsenal this Wednesday. The Gunners are flying high coming into this game. They are fresh off a scintillating 4-2 victory over North London rival Tottenham Hotspur, and they are looking to further solidify their place in the standings against the Red Devils this week. As for Manchester United, they continue to muddle about and they are now eight points outside of the top four.
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English Premier League Betting at BookMaker.eu
Manchester United +138
Arsenal +192
Draw +247
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
Odds Analysis
Manchester United were somewhat fortunate to get a draw against lowly Southampton on the road this weekend. The Red Devils quickly fell behind 2-0, but they managed to knot the game 2-2 right before halftime, and that’s where it ended despite some good chances for the Saints in the second half. They have not won a Premier League match since defeating Bournemouth on November 3, losing to Manchester City and drawing level with Crystal Palace since that point. Manchester United did receive good news in the Champions League though. A Marouane Fellaini goal right before the death against Young Boys gave them the win they needed to advance to the next round of the Champions League.
Their win over Tottenham on Sunday was huge for Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s Champions League. That’s been Unai Emery’s top priority since taking over for Arsene Wenger, and the Gunners are currently in fourth place in the table. They have not lost since back-to-back games against Manchester City and Chelsea to start the season, and they picked up a nice road win against Bournemouth prior this one. Arsenal have already qualified for the next round of the Europa League, so they don’t have to worry about that competition for a while, and they can channel their efforts on the Premier League.
Key Injuries
At this point its hard to tell if Manchester United are a football club or a hospital ward given their injury situation. The Red Devils have nine people on the injury list ahead of this one. Alexis Sanchez, Victor Lindelof and Matteo Darmian will miss this game because of injuries, while Ashley Young won’t be available because he has picked up five yellow cards this season. Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, and Marcus Rashford are all listed as questionable, and Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw are doubtful.
Arsenal still don’t have Konstantinos, Nacho Monreal, and Danny Welbeck, but they may finally get Laurent Koscielny back on Wednesday. He has been sidelined since the beginning of the season, and it would be great for the Gunners to get their top center back in the lineup once more. Mesut Ozil is questionable as well, while Granit Xhaka has been suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Matchup to Watch
Romelu Lukaku finally saw his goal scoring drought end against Southampton, and he once again showed why he is Manchester United’s most dangerous forward. Lukaku doesn’t need much space to fire a good shot on net, and he is the player most likely to break through Arsenal’s back line. The Gunners have made due in the back pretty well so far with their injury situation, but I see Lukaku breaking through once more.
Prop Bet of the Game – Over 3.5 Goals +154
Expect plenty of goals in this game. Both sides are banged up in the back, and Manchester United is banged up all around, but there are plenty of offensive options for both teams to threaten. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this play out in a similar fashion to what we saw when Tottenham faced Arsenal.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The over is the top bet here, and if I were to take a side it would be Manchester United. Arsenal have yet to impress on the road, and this is a game the Red Devils need three points from if they have any shot of making Champions League.
English Premier League Odds: Manchester United 3, Arsenal 2
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