Arsenal v Manchester United Betting Tips
Nine wins and two draws at the Emirates in the space of eleven games. Arsenal's home form has been rock solid and explains why they are seven points clear at the top of the standings. Some might regard the 1.61 about a victory over Manchester United as a value bet. These odds suggest a 62% chance of succeeding although many will think the probability is much higher.
Only Manchester City and Liverpool have stopped Arsenal winning at home this term. Defensively, just five goals have been conceded by the Gunners in front of their own fans. Perhaps their bigger odds are partly down to the fixture congestion that has come as a result of the team's ongoing success. This clash is sandwiched between Champions League matches against Inter and Kairat Almaty.
There's also the fact that the previous two Arsenal EPL matches have ended in a goalless draw. There wasn't a lot to get excited about when Liverpool nullified the league leaders before Mikel Arteta's side were only able to draw at the City Ground. Breaking down Nottingham Forest proved to be too difficult, even with the obvious threat from set pieces.
Then we have Manchester United. The Red Devils have won just three of their eleven away matches in the Premier League this season. Ruben Amorim has now left and Michael Carrick brought about an instant change in fortune after seeing a bright performance in the derby. United richly deserved their 2-0 win against City and will now look to achieve another positive result at the Emirates.
It was impressive that United limited City to just one shot on target over ninety minutes, with Bryan Mbuemo and Amad Diallo back in the fold. The same applies to Kobbie Mainoo who has come in from the cold and is now playing an active role, with Bruno Fernandes capable of pulling the strings in midfield.
Goals Under/Over
Despite Arsenal having been involved in consecutive goalless draws in the Premier League, the Over 2.5 Goals quote is slightly shorter than Under 2.5. There have been thirty-one goals scored across eleven home games involving the Gunners this season. Twenty-six of these have been scored by Arteta's men, with just five conceded by a usually tight defence.
Manchester United's away matches have involved thirty-seven goals being scored across eleven contests. That's an average of way more than three being scored per game, with Michael Carrick looking for his team to play on the front foot at the Emirates. Is it conceivable that they can go toe to toe with the league leaders?
There's always the possibility that the visitors will look to put players behind the ball and be more pragmatic than they were in the derby. With Arsenal looking fatigued and playing out two goalless draws, we're leaning towards Under 2.5 Goals.
BTTS
There's not a great deal between the BTTS Yes and BTTS No betting odds. The former is trading at a slightly shorter price, with Arsenal averaging nearly three goals per home game. While they might have been stymied by Liverpool at the Emirates, the Gunners have found a way to score at least once in front of their own fans. The array of attacking talent means that they can unlock defences in a manner of ways, even if the form of Viktor Gyokeres has been questionable.
Manchester United have scored eighteen goals across eleven away games, with the Red Devils conceding nineteen times. Although they limited Manchester City in the previous encounter, clean sheets are not something that tends to happen on the road. Before that 2-0 derby win, the north-west side had four straight matches where BTTS Yes happened.
That was after a 1-0 win over Newcastle, with the previous five games involving a BTTS Yes outcome. Michael Carrick has the team to ask Arsenal some defensive questions although we always find it hard to bet against this defence considering it has been watertight all season.
First Goalscorer
One of the strangest quirks of the Premier League season is that Arsenal don't have a player anywhere near the top of the scoring charts. There were high hopes for Gyokeres when he arrived from Sporting in the summer, although the Swede has a meagre eight goals in all competitions. Two of these came against Leeds back in August and perhaps Gabriel Jesus will be given a chance to shine in this clash.
Bukayo Saka had seven goals on the board by early December, although the England man has struggled to find the net since then. We would rather look towards the Arsenal defenders in order to extract some value. Gabriel is the main threat from set pieces, although Jurrien Timber often seems to get in the right places and perhaps the Dutchman is due a goal.
Manchester United have plenty of potential scorers, including Bruno Fernandes. The return of Kobbie Mainoo means that the Portuguese is able to rove forward into attacking areas. There is also Bryan Mbuemo who has returned from AFCON and he was the man to break the deadlock in the derby against Manchester City.