Arsenal vs. Man Utd: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

This is the first real test of the Ruben Amorim era and it's a huge one. Arsenal experienced a dip in form only a couple of weeks back, but since the return of Martin Ødegaard, they've looked excellent. The Gunners come into this game having scored 13 goals in their last three outings, all of which were convincing wins, while both teams to score has occurred in three of their last four games - and three of United's last five in the league.

On top of that, they haven't lost at the Emirates all season, winning six of their last seven on their own patch, and have also won all of their last three head-to-head meetings with Manchester United.

We expect a United side galvanised by Amorim's arrival to put up a good fight here, but the home side should be too strong. Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United.

Arsenal's quest for the Premier League title continues this weekend as they face a huge game at home to Manchester United.

• Date: 04/12/2024
• Kick-off time: 20:15
• Location: Emirates Stadium, London

The Gunners come into this game in 2nd place in the league table, nine points behind league leaders Liverpool. Arsenal's early season momentum has been heavily disrupted by a number of injuries to key players, but with the vast majority of the squad now fit and firing, the Gunners will feel as though their season is now starting to build up a head of steam.

Liverpool have already opened up a fairly sizeable gap over Arsenal, and the Gunners squandered the opportunity to take three points off them at the Emirates a few weeks back so manager Mikel Arteta will be well aware that his side may have to be near-perfect for the remainder of the season to usurp the Reds.

Still, though, they'll be confident about their chances given how they've been playing in recent weeks, with captain Martin Ødegaard operating at an exceptionally high level since his return from injury, while Bukayo Saka - whose five goals and ten assists have him second only to Mohamed Salah in Premier League goal contributions this season - is as reliably excellent as ever.

Importantly, with Manchester City suffering a very steep decline this season, both Arsenal and Liverpool will know how big of a chance they have to win the league title this season, and that will provide them both with a huge psychological boost given how draining and demoralising it can be to compete for league titles with Pep Guardiola's side.

Arsenal cannot, under any circumstances, fail to take anything but three points from this game. United are a refreshed and galvanised outfit following the arrival of new manager Ruben Amorim, but Arsenal must now bring that honeymoon period to an abrupt end.

Manchester United currently sit 9th in the Premier League with 19 points from 13 games. The Red Devils have had a very tumultuous first few months of the campaign, culminating in the dismissal of manager Erik ten Hag. Fortunately, though, despite the team's awful early-season form, they are still in a position where they can realistically have a very successful season under Ruben Amorim.

United are only four points shy of the Champions League places, so if Amorim can really work some magic and harness the squad's qualities while covering its weaknesses, a top four finish is a very realistic goal. That will, however, likely depend on Manchester City having a real clanger of a season, as Chelsea don't at all look like dropping off.

Still, the main aim for Amorim this season is to demonstrate progress from the Ten Hag era, and the way the team has performed in the Portuguese manager's first few games in charge, it's blatant that Amorim has a huge job in front of him. There have been clear signs of improvement in the team's play, but the performances have been very mixed, showing that the squad is still well, well short of quality in vital areas.

United have suffered heavily from injuries this season but many of those faces are starting to return, so that should provide a huge boost to the team's performance. The return of summer signing Leny Yoro is hugely anticipated, with the Frenchman's athleticism desperately needed in United's backline.

Few expect United to come out on top here, so the pressure is slightly off their shoulders. That may well make them a tricky opponent for Arsenal, and it would be of little surprise if this game is very closely contested, but the Gunners should ultimately have too much quality for Amorim's men.

This game will be aired live to all subscribed UK viewers on Amazon.

Arsenal Team News:

The Gunners' injury list has shortened somewhat in recent weeks as they come into this one with only Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu certain to miss out.

However, defender Gabriel Magãlhaes came off at the weekend with an injury, so he could be replaced by Jakub Kiwior, while Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey are both doubtful.

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Calafiori; Ødegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.

Man United Team News:

The Red Devils will be missing Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martínez, both of whom are unavailable due to suspensions owing to an accumulation of yellow cards.

On top of that, Leny Yoro, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelöf all remain on the sidelines with injuries.

Predicted lineup: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire; Diallo, Casemiro, Ugarte, Shaw; Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee.

Arsenal enter this game in good form having won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches. At the weekend, goals from Gabriel Magalhães, Leandro Trossard, Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka produced a comfortable 5-2 win over West Ham United, where all seven goals came in the first half.

That result followed a 5-1 win over Sporting CP in the Champions League, with Gabriel Martinelli, Havertz, Gabriel Magalhães, Saka and Trossard all grabbing the goals, a result that was preceded by a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, courtesy of Saka, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri.

Before that, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Chelsea and lost 1-0 at Inter Milan in the Champions League.

Manchester United's form has improved in recent weeks, with the Red Devils unbeaten in their last five games. The weekend's result saw them deliver a convincing win over Everton, where braces from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee got the job done in impressive fashion.

Prior to that, United came out on top in a tough game against Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League thanks to Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund (X2), which came after a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town.

Those results were preceded by a 3-0 win over Leicester City and a 2-0 win over Greek side PAOK in the Europa League.

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