Manchester United (5-5-3) and Arsenal (7-4-2) are scheduled to battle on Thursday, December 2nd at 3:15 P.M. EST. The match will take place at Old Trafford in Manchester, England.
Manchester United’s last match ended in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea and Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 2-0 their last time on the pitch. Arsenal enters Thursday sitting in fifth place in the Premier League standings, while Manchester United ranks 10th.
Manchester United vs. Arsenal Betting Preview
Manchester United Preview: Scoring is Nice, but Defense Wins Matches
Manchester United has dealt with mediocrity all season. At 5-5-3, their hopes of winning the Premier League are slim. However, one area of the game where they have excelled is on offense.
Manchester United ranks sixth in goals with 21 and fourth in assists with 18. Much of their offense prowess stems from opportunity. Manchester United has taken 135 shots which ranks seventh in the league.
The legendary Cristiano Ronaldo is tied for the team lead in goals with 4. Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood have scored four times as well. Paul Pogba has been the playmaker on the team with his impressive seven assists on the season.
Naturally, Ronaldo leads the team in shots taken.
With all of this offensive success, why isn’t this team winning more matches?
While Manchester United has found the back of the net 21 times, they have also surrendered 22 goals. They are averaging 1.69 goals surrendered per match. To make matters worse, they have two own goals and three errors leading to goals.
If Manchester United wants to turn their season around and make a competitive run, it is going to have to start on the defensive end.
Arsenal Preview: Trust in Your Strength
Arsenal does not possess anywhere near the offensive talent of Manchester United. They enter Thursday ranked 13th in goals with 15 and 15th in assists with 8. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Emile Smith Rowe pace Arsenal with four goals each.
However, their strength has come on the defensive side of the ball. Arsenal has allowed just 17 total goals and are conceding 1.31 goals per match. The team has added 100 interceptions and 44 saves.
They practice patient defense. Arsenal tends to cause opponents to make mistakes while they wait back and strike when the time is right.
While Manchester United may be an intimidating matchup with Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch, Arsenal needs to remember that they have been the better team, and their defense has the capability to limit anyone in the league.
Who to Bet on
Many top sportsbooks have this game coming down to the wire. A draw could certainly be the end result on Thursday.
However, Manchester United is beginning to heat up as the season rolls along, and they could be in line to upset Arsenal in this match. As long as the defense plays better than they have, Manchester United may earn the victory at home.
Take Manchester United -1.
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