Arsenal and Manchester United are just outside of the part of the standings that leads to the UEFA Champions League next season and this game will decide which of the two teams will keep their hopes alive. With five rounds to go in the season, there is no room for mistakes for either side.
Arsenal
With five games to play until the 2021-22 season, Arsenal is sixth in the Premier League standings with 54 points as many as their next opponent Manchester United. The Gunners have 17 wins, 11 losses and only 3 draws, the least in the league alongside Aston Villa. Arsenal has a +8 goal differential.
Mikel Arteta’s team has not met the expectations this season but still has time to do so. They have played terribly lately losing the last three Premier League games which even put Arteta’s job in jeopardy.
Arsenal scored only one goal in the last three matches. They are coming off a 1-0 loss to Southampton in a game in which they had 76% of possession but still failed to score. Previously, the Gunners lost 2-1 at home against Brighton and 3-0 when they visited Crystal Palace. The last time Arsenal won in the Premier League was exactly a month ago when they defeated Aston Villa 1-0 on the road.
Arsenal has lost the last two games at the Emirates, the above mentioned against Brighton and a 2-0 loss to Liverpool on March 16. Arsenal is the third-best home team this season having won 10 of 16 games with 4 losses and 2 draws. They are scoring 1.56 goals per game at home and conceding 0.87.
Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are Arsenal’s leading scorers with 9 goals each.
Manchester United
Manchester United has been under the spotlight this season as the team legend Cristiano Ronaldo decided to return to the place it all started. Despite his arrival, United’s season is not going as well as it was predicted.
The Red Devils are currently fifth in the Premier League standings with 54 points, as many as Arsenal, but are ahead of them in the standings since have a better goal differential for only one goal.
United has 2 wins, 2 losses and a draw in the last five Premier League games. They are coming off a 3-2 win over the last team in the standings Norwich. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and the Red Devils’ fans are hoping that he will continue his great form when the team visits the heated rival Arsenal.
Previously, United lost 1-0 on the road against Everton despite having 12 shots and 67% of possession.
United is ranked seventh in the Premier League when it comes to road games. They have won only 6 of 15 away games with 5 draws and 4 losses. They have scored 24 goals or 1.6 per game and have allowed 23 or 1.53.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the best scorer for United and third in the Premier League with 15 goals this season. Bruno Fernandes has scored 9 and is ranked 18th in the league.
Our tip for the Arsenal vs. Manchester United game
The games between Arsenal and Manchester United always bring a lot of drama and with the current stakes, things will be heated up once again. Both teams are three points away from Tottenham who sits in fourth place in the Premier League standings or the last one that leads to the UEFA Champions League next season. Therefore, no team is going to be satisfied with a draw and will have to go all in on Saturday.
Arsenal has won 2 of the last 5 games with two draws and one win for Manchester United. United won 3-2 in the first match this season which was their first Premier League win over Arsenal since 2018. At the same time, that was the first game with a score over 2.5 goals after the previous five ended up under this margin.
Both teams are struggling lately and their defence has not been very secure. All that will add additional pressure in this game which will be decided probably by an individual move of a particular player. Given that, United has a slight advantage since they have Cristiano Ronaldo on the roster.
The most important fact about this game is that no team will be satisfied with a draw. Therefore it will be all offence at the Emirates on Saturday making the over 2.5 goals bet the right one.