Sunday’s English Premier League slate features a blockbuster affair to close out the week in the form of Manchester United vs Arsenal. A meeting of two clubs with a storied past of great matches that decided many of the EPL’s titles in the 00s that fans will hope produces similar entertainment this season.
Both Arsenal and United are red hot to open September as the Gunners are currently the Premier League’s best. Entering Sunday’s match at Old Trafford, Arsenal sit atop the EPL table with a perfect 5-0-0 record and look set to finally end their Top 4 drought with eyes on making an underdog push at a title run.
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Manchester United Pulling It Together
On the United side of things, the Red Devils began the season in the worst way possible, losing 2-1 to Brighton at home and followed that up with a disastrous 4-0 defeat at Brentford. Since the two losses, United have picked themselves up and won three consecutive matches off the bounce, including a 2-1 win over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a hotly contested derby match which United entered as underdogs according to the soccer betting odds.
United have looked defensively solid with the center back pairing of Varane and Martinez producing impressive performances helping them keep two clean sheets in a row against Southampton and Leicester. Both wins for United featured a defensive focus and very little bite in attack. The clean sheets proved necessary as United managed just a single goal in both matches that finished 1-0 to the Red Devils.
Arsenal Firing On All Cylinders
Arsenal has been equally defensively sound thus far as manager Mikel Arteta appears to have sorted out the club’s defensive tactics. Summer transfers bolstered a Gunners defensive spine that has allowed just four goals this season.
Despite conceding less than a goal per game, clean sheets haven’t followed the Gunners newfound consistency in defense. Arsenal has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last two matches, allowing both Aston Villa and Fulham to find the back of the net in 2-1 wins.
Bet The Under
Given the significance of this match on both Arsenal and United’s season and the defensive pedigree of both clubs it looks like the Under 2.5 at +110 is the play for this match.
Last season’s matches may have been goalfests. However, United’s new manager has the Red Devils putting in firm defensive efforts and Arsenal as aforementioned have a list of new faces that bolstered their own backline.
With this match carrying such high stakes, I foresee United putting in a cagey performance and frustrating Arsenal’s attack in a low scoring affair that is close until the final whistle. Expect plenty of tackles and a tight affair reminiscent of the glory days when these two clubs hated each other more than anything as Old Trafford plays host to an Arsenal club looking to put another stake down in their quest to cement themselves as a club in the mix to win the title this season.
