Manchester United faces another tough matchup in the Premier League on Thursday with Arsenal making a trip to Old Trafford. The Red Devils are in danger of going winless against their old enemies in seven consecutive league games for the first time ever.
Bookmaker William Hill has the odds here at 6.50 for Arsenal to win with both teams scoring and at 3.75 for United to win with both teams getting on the scoreboard. You can back a score draw with the odds at 4.40.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: December 1st, 11:00 A.M. (EST)
United last beat the Gunners in April 2018 when Jose Mourinho was still pulling the strings. There have since then been three Arsenal wins and three draws in the matchup, and United have scored just once in the last five meetings.
Based on current form it seems unlikely that United can turn the tide in the matchup, but the team has improved under interim boss Michael Carrick and they will have gotten a nice confidence boost from almost beating Chelsea on Sunday.
Ralf Rangnick has already been confirmed as the new interim manager, but the German will have to wait for his debut as he hasn’t yet received a work permit. He’ll likely be in charge on Sunday against Crystal Palace, so Carrick has a chance to go out with a bang.
The former United and Tottenham midfielder made a huge call at the weekend by leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench and his plan almost worked out perfectly. It could still be seen as a very good two-game set if Ronaldo can produce some magic with his fresh feet on Thursday.
Arsenal’s defense has looked strong over the last couple of months, but Liverpool recently picked them apart quite easily with all of their attacking quality and it’s possible that United can do the same. If they are actually interested in attacking. Carrick has been very conservative with his approach, trying to avoid big losses which ended up characterizing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final weeks in charge.
Unlike Solskjaer, Mikel Arteta has managed to maneuver his way through rough times, and winning at Old Trafford would give his team another lift. The Gunners are looking to beat United on the road in consecutive league games for the first time since 1979.
The 4-0 loss against Liverpool was bad but it marks Arsenal’s lone defeat in their last 10 games. The run includes seven wins and seven clean sheets. Things have seemingly started to click for Arsenal, but their schedule has been pretty favorable as well. Thursday’s match should give us a much better look at how far the Gunners have come.
