Neither Arsenal nor Manchester United have enjoyed quite the start to the season that their fans hoped for. Arsenal have taken seven of nine possible points from their first three matches and United have six points.
Both sides appeared vulnerable against non-contenders on Matchday 2. In Gaming Today’s breakdown of Sunday’s clash between last year’s second- and third-place finishers in the Premier League, we analyze whether Man U can get a surprise result at the Emirates.
Betting Odds for Sunday’s Arsenal vs. Manchester United Match
Here are Arsenal vs. Manchester United betting lines available on top sports betting apps. The odds here reflect the three-way moneyline, where a bet on either team to win is a loss if the game is tied after 90 minutes. Arsenal is favored to win at . Manchester United are current underdogs at . The draw is currently set at .
Also read: Premier League Golden Boot odds | Premier League team futures odds | Champions League futures odds
Arsenal Roster, Injuries, and Betting News
Arsenal entered this season with the highest expectations of any time besides reigning champ Manchester City. After spending much of the ’22-23 campaign in first place, Mikel Arteta’s side faded down the stretch and finished with 84 points, five behind City’s 89.
This summer, they invested as much in their squad as any time besides Chelsea, adding star midfielder Declan Rice, forward Kai Havertz, and defender Jurrien Timber. Unfortunately, Timber has already suffered a knee injury that might have ended his season after just one appearance.
Still, Arsenal have a talented roster – which might have been good enough to win the Premier League if not for injuries last year — that improved over the summer.
So far, though, they’ve been underwhelming (at least given their expectations), with close wins over Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, followed by a 2-2 draw at home against Fulham last weekend.
Arsenal gave up a goal in the first minute of that match but took a 2-1 lead in the 72nd. Then they saw Fulham go down to 10 men when Fulham’s Calvin Bassey received a red card in the 83rd.
From there, a team with championship aspirations like Arsenal’s should have had no problem holding on to take three points. Instead, Arsenal allowed Fulham to tie it at 2-2 a few minutes later, as Fulham’s João Palhinha took advantage of lax defending on a corner kick with a perfect strike for the equalizer.
Breakdowns like that feel especially costly because there’s little – if any – margin for error when you’re trying to keep up with a machine like Manchester City.
It will be interesting in Arsenal’s next few matches to see who Arteta lines up in his starting XI. So far this season, he’s started Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz in the midfield.
Thomas Partey has moved from midfield to right back for the first three games. Ben White has moved from right back over to center back, where he’s replaced Gabriel.
The line-up shuffling has turned heads given how solid Arsenal were last season with White at right back and Partey in the midfield.
Injuries
Timber’s absence hurts Arsenal’s back line. Forward Gabriel Jesus recently made his first appearance of the season after missing the first two matches due to injury. Arsenal will also welcome back defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, who is returning from a suspension.
Manchester United Roster, Injuries, and Betting News
Manchester United entered this season with high hopes after an impressive debut campaign under Manager Erik ten Hag last year. Following a third-place finish in ’22-23, the club made three big signings this summer, midfielder Mason Mount, keeper Andre Onana, and 20-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund.
This team struggled in its first two matches of the season against Wolves and Tottenham. United got all three points against Wolves, but were fortunate to pull out the 1-0 victory after Onana got away with what should have been a late penalty that could have allowed Wolves to salvage a last-minute draw.
The 2-0 loss to Tottenham — who are off to a strong start under Manager Ange Postecoglou — followed by last weekend’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest have oddsmakers skeptical of United’s chances at Arsenal this weekend.
Against Forest, the Man U back line gave up two goals in the first five minutes, but the response was impressive. Christian Eriksen (17th minute) and Casemiro (52nd minute) managed to level the score at 2-2 before Bruno Fernandes provided the winner on a PK in the 76th shortly after Forest went down to 10 men.
Man U travel to Arsenal with plenty of questions after shaky play so far this season by the midfield and back line, which have allowed four goals in the last two matches. Limiting chances will only get more difficult in the weeks ahead due to an injury that is expected to sideline center back Raphael Varane for the next month.
Injuries
In addition to losing Varane, Man U are currently without Mount and left backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
Arsenal vs. Manchester United Props
Below is a sampling of betting props for Arsenal vs. Manchester United:
Anytime Goalscorer (FanDuel):
- Gabriel Jesus: +170
- Eddie Nketiah: +180
- Gabriel Martinelli: +195
- Marcus Rashford: +210
- Rasmus Hojlund: +250
- Anthony Martial: +320
Correct Score (FanDuel):
- Arsenal 1-0: +950
- Arsenal 2-0: +950
- Arsenal 2-1: +700
- Manchester United 1-0: +1900
- Manchester United 2-0: +3000
- Manchester United 2-1: +1400
- 0-0: +1800
- 1-1: +750
Total Goal Props (FanDuel):
- Over 0.5 goals -4000, Under 0.5 goals: +1700
- Over 1.5 goals -650, Under 1.5 goals: +450
- Over 2.5 goals -200, Under 2.5 goals: +147
- Over 3.5 goals +136, Under 3.5 goals: -166
Arsenal vs. Manchester United Prediction: Arsenal 3, Manchester United 2
Manchester United have looked shaky enough in their last two matches that it makes sense that they travel to the Emirates as the underdogs. I don’t think this will be as one-sided as oddsmakers expect, though, particularly given how much pressure both clubs are under to win this match.
Arteta pressed all the right buttons last year until injuries derailed the team’s title push. This year, though, it’s unclear whether he’s helping his team by starting Havertz in the midfield, Partey at right back and White at center back. That makes it easy to see this match turning into a wild, back-and-forth battle, with Arsenal ultimately pulling it out at home. At +300 on FanDuel, it’s tempting to wager a half-unit or so on the draw.
Here are a few bets available at DraftKings that are worth checking out:
- Both Teams To Score, No Draw – Yes (+110)
- Parlay: Arsenal Win, Over 1.5 Goals (-105)
Arsenal vs. Manchester United Broadcast Info: Where to Watch
- Date/Time: Sunday, September 3, 11:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Emirates Stadium
Watch this match at one of the following:
- NBC
- Telemundo
- Peacock Premium
- Fubo
- DirecTV Stream
- Sling Blue
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