It’s not been a dream start for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United. While sixth in the league is far from disastrous at this early stage of the season, Mourinho’s side will need to start closing the gap on the Champions League positions before it becomes an insurmountable task.
Arsenal sit just 2 spots ahead of Manchester United in the league table, but a full six points. A win for the North London side would see them, at least for a few hours, go top. But in order to do that Arsene Wenger will have to mastermind a win over his old foe, something he’s yet to do in a competitive fixture.
The two have had a fabled relationship that has had everything from accusations of voyeurism and failure to shoving matches on the sidelines. The two have met 13 times in league and cup competition with Mourinho winning on 7 occasions. In their worst season in decades, Arsenal were one of the few teams Chelsea managed to beat both home and away - the others were relegated duo Norwich and Aston Villa.
Beyond the Mourinho factor, Manchester United have not been a favourite opponent for the Frenchman. Wenger has lost at least 7 more games against them than against any other side he has faced as a manager. Notably, he has not overseen a league win at Old Trafford in more than a decade.
Neither side will be able to field their ‘best XI’ in the Premier League’s biggest match this week. Being November and following an international break, Arsenal are unsurprisingly contending with a number of injuries, but will be bolstered by the fact that Alexis Sanchez has declared himself fit. The hosts meanwhile will be without suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic. United’s defence has also been plagued with injuries with 3 of their 4 first choice defenders unavailable, leaving things very makeshift at the back.
With that in mind, there is certainly money to be made in this fixture courtesy of Bet365. New Bet365 customers recieve a 100% deposit bonus. When you deposit £10 or more you will qualify for a matched amount to bet with, up to £200. Given the excellent markets on offer for this Premier League contest, you stand to win money from the match.
While Arsene Wenger will view this weekend as the opportunity to finally get the Mourinho monkey off his back and secure his first league win over the Portuguese manager, the pressure will be on Manchester United to not fall further adrift in the league. They are unlikely to adopt the same approach as they did in their match at Anfield which could leave them vulnerable to a pacy Arsenal attack.
Arsenal have scored a goal within the opening 25 minutes in 5 of their last 7 games on the road in all competitions. Furthermore, both Chelsea and Manchester City scored very early goals against Mourinho’s side and Arsenal should have enough in their attack, even with injuries, to follow suit. You can get odds on a goal in the opening 30 minutes with Bet365 at 1.83.
Conversely, Hector Bellerin’s injury is a big blow to Arsenal’s backline. He’s been one of their standout players since becoming a first team regular in North London and his absemce will mean a reshuffle at the back or even an appearance for Carl Jenkinson. This coupled with the fact that Arsenal have not been able to keep a clean sheet at Old Trafford since 2009 could mean a way into the game for Manchester United. Bet on both teams to score with Bet365 at 1.75.
History is not on Arsene Wenger’s side here, but form could be. Arsenal have lost just 1 league game on the road this calendar year, although that defeat was their last trip to Old Trafford where a Marcus Rashford-inspired showing saw United came away with a 3-2 win. They have won each of their last 5 games on the road in all competitions, scoring 3 or more goals in 4 of those matches. Manchester United have won just 2 of their last 8 league matches, both against struggling sides. Bet365 have priced Wenger to oversee his first league win against Jose Mourinho at 2.90.
